The RBI Ombudsman Closed My Case. The Spam Calls Didn’t Stop. Escalating Got Me ₹20,000 More

If you have followed the usual route, you complained to the bank, escalated to the RBI Ombudsman, and received compensation, you would expect the calls to stop. In my case, they didn’t.

Here is where things stand, up front, so there is no confusion:

• The RBI Ombudsman case against Bajaj Finance ended with ₹15,000 in reparation.
• The calls continued. I escalated to BFL’s senior management and received ₹10,000 twice more. That is ₹20,000 beyond the Ombudsman amount, ₹35,000 in total .
• I am still waiting for official, written closure from BFL.
• At the time of writing, the calls have stopped. BFL’s senior management told me they have imposed heavy penalties on the DSAs involved. I have not independently verified that, and the calls have only stopped “for now”.

This article is the playbook I followed after the Ombudsman case, and what I’d do again.

Why Calls Continue After a Case Closes

A closed complaint is a paperwork event. It does not switch off the dialers, and it does not reach every DSA (Direct Selling Agent) and telemarketing partner working on the bank’s behalf. Each of those can still hold your number in a calling list. That is why a closure does not mean the problem is solved.

The good news is that calls after a closure make your position stronger. The bank has already been told, and has already paid.

Step 1: Keep a Master Inventory of Every Call

Don’t rely on scattered screenshots. Keep one spreadsheet with a row per call:

• Phone number
• Date and time
• Caller name, and the channel or agency they mention
• What was pitched and a short summary
• Your evidence (recording, call log, email, WhatsApp message)
• Two columns for the company to fill in: ownership status (official, authorized DSA, or impersonator) and action taken (a penalty on the DSA, or an FIR copy if it is an impersonator)

Those last two columns matter most. They force the company to put each number in a box. “That number isn’t ours” stops being an acceptable answer, because the company must either own the number or prove someone is impersonating it.

Step 2: Look for Patterns in the Numbers

Once you have a list, look at the first five or six digits. In my inventory of 55 reported numbers, 16 shared the same first five digits (74471 followed by five more digits). Others clustered in blocks such as 79696 and 62724.

Numbers in the same block usually come from the same SIM batch or dialer set-up, which points to a single source rather than random fraudsters. When you write to the company, group the numbers by block, for example “+91-74471-XXXXX, 16 numbers”. That is far harder to dismiss than a pile of individual complaints.

Step 3: Escalate Beyond the Nodal Officer, With a Notice Period

Once the Ombudsman has closed the case, the nodal officer has little reason to act. So I wrote to senior management: the MD, the chairman and the investor-facing contacts, giving a 15-day notice .

The email stayed factual and covered:

• The closed Ombudsman case and the reparation already paid
• That calls continued afterwards, with the inventory attached
• A request for a named senior point of contact
• The next steps I’d take after 15 days. The main one is a complaint before the District Consumer Commission under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, which is where claims for deficiency in service and unfair trade practices are formally decided. Alongside it, a fresh RBI complaint, a TRAI complaint and a complaint to the Data Protection Board.
• A clear instruction on numbers that are not theirs (see below)

The instruction that closes the “not our number” excuse

Companies often say a number “does not belong to us”. Don’t let that end the conversation. In the email, tell them what you expect if it is true. Here is the wording I’d use:

For every number in the attached list, please confirm in writing within 15 days whether it belongs to BFL or to an authorized DSA of BFL, and what action has been taken. If BFL’s position is that any of these numbers are neither BFL’s nor an authorized DSA’s, then those callers are impersonating BFL to pitch BFL’s products. In that case, I request BFL, as the party being impersonated, to lodge a police complaint and have an FIR registered against those numbers under Section 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (cheating by personation) and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act 2000 (cheating by personation using a computer resource), and to share a copy of the FIR with me. FIR registration is governed by Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023.

This puts the company in a position where every number has to be either owned or reported to the police. In my case, BFL did lodge an FIR against some of the reported numbers.

Within the notice window, senior management engaged, assigned a contact, and agreed to pay ₹10,000 as reparation. When calls continued after that, I escalated again and received another ₹10,000.

Senior management’s addresses are usually in the company’s annual report, its investor relations page or its stock exchange filings.

Step 4: Work With the Senior Management Contact, Including on Live Calls

Once I had a designated contact, I reported every new call to them. When a caller rang, I added the contact to the call as a conference. I told the caller first that I was adding someone from the company.

This worked in two ways:

• Callers admitted which agency they worked for , or disconnected the moment the company’s representative joined. A disconnect says as much as an answer.
• The company could verify on the spot whether the caller was a valid DSA. That removed any chance of deflection later.

Step 5: Verify the Caller, and Read the Evidence Carefully

Two small tests I used:

• Ask the caller to email you from an official address. In my case, several sent emails from addresses on the bank’s own domain, such as a****.c****@bajajfinserv.in (masked here). That is useful evidence. But an official-looking address is only a lead, so ask the company to confirm the person.
• Ask whether you can get the same loan or overdraft from a different bank. A bank’s own employee can only offer that bank’s products. A DSA can usually place you with several lenders. How they answer tells you which kind of caller you have.

Keep the call recording and the email together, because they link the call to the entity.

Step 6: Ask for Reparation Each Time, Tied to Your Documented Time

Every round of calls costs you time and peace of mind, so every round should lead to a fresh request for compensation. Base the amount on what you’ve documented: the number of calls, the days over which they ran, and the time you spent reporting and following up. Under the RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme 2026, the ceiling for loss of time, expenses and mental agony is ₹3 lakh. That shows how modest ₹10,000 is.

Step 7: Ask for Closure in Writing

Don’t accept “it has been taken care of”. Ask the company to confirm, in writing and for each number on your list, who it belongs to and what action was taken. This is the part I am still waiting on, and it is the difference between a promise and a record.

If the Calls Resume

If the same entity calls again after this, don’t reopen the old case. File a fresh RBI Ombudsman complaint with the new evidence, and refer to the earlier commitments the company made. A broken commitment strengthens your case.

If the 15-day notice also goes unanswered, take it to the District Consumer Commission. Complaints can be filed online through the e-Jagriti portal. Attach your inventory, the Ombudsman closure, the reparation already paid, and your notice to senior management. A written promise to stop the calls, followed by more calls, is the kind of record that matters there.

A Few Honest Caveats

• Results vary. I received ₹15,000 from the Ombudsman and ₹20,000 more through escalation. Your outcome will depend on your evidence and the entity.
• “Stopped” may be temporary. I’m still watching.
• Consumer Commission is not automatic. A company can argue that someone who never bought its services is not a “consumer” under the Act, so check how your case fits before filing, ideally with a lawyer.
• FIR is the company’s call. You can ask a company to lodge one against impersonators, but you can’t force it.
• This is not legal advice. It is what worked for me.

Quick Checklist

• Log every call in a master inventory with ownership and action columns
• Group numbers by block and look for patterns
• Send a 15-day notice to senior management with your inventory attached, naming the District Consumer Commission as your next step
• In the notice, ask the company to either own each number or lodge an FIR against impersonators (BNS Section 319, IT Act Section 66D) and share the copy
• Get a named contact and report each new call to them
• Join them on live calls, after telling the caller
• Ask for official-domain emails and verify with the company
• Ask for reparation each time, based on documented time
• Ask for written closure per number
• If calls resume, file a fresh RBI complaint, and approach the District Consumer Commission if the notice goes unanswered