One mobile number cannot be linked to multiple mobile banking users, says Bank of Baroda

Bank of Baroda

Public sector lender Bank of Baroda (BoB) on July 11 said that unauthenticated or non-customer mobile numbers for boosting app registrations is factually incorrect.

The lender also said that one mobile number of a customer cannot be linked to multiple accounts with the bank's mobile application, BoB World.

"The point raised on using unauthenticated, stranger’s or non-customer mobile numbers for boosting app registrations is not factually correct as one mobile number can be counted with only one mobile app at any point in time. The Bank targets only active users who can get onboarded only through the system controls in place, rather than mobile app downloads or registrations," the bank said in a statement.

The clarification came after media reports said that Bob World was involved in tampering with customer accounts. The report alleged that the lender linked contact details of different people to increase the number of mobile application registrations.

"The 3 crore customers on our mobile banking app are users with active banking engagements and transactions on the app," the lender said.

What is the issue?

Over a period of time, it was alleged that some employees of Bank of Baroda were putting mobile number of customers into several accounts to boost up the customer base of BoB World.

Alongside this, issues concerning data privacy and protection were also highlighted.

The lender, in its statement, also highlighted that targeting customers is only done to those who are onboarded with the bank and not in any other way.

"The bank targets only active users who can get onboarded only through the system controls in place, rather than mobile app downloads or registrations. The 3 crore customers on our mobile banking app are users with active banking engagements and transactions on the app," the bank said.

Alongside, the bank also said that security is ensured through a robust system.

"The bank has a robust system with the necessary controls in place and we reaffirm our commitment to customer security," the statement said.