Your Bank Has 30 Days to Answer a Fraud Complaint

When money leaves your account without your authority, your bank has 48 hours to acknowledge the complaint and 30 days to give you a final reply. Ordinary complaints have to be closed in 15 days.

Those are State Bank instructions to every bank, microfinance bank and development finance institution in Pakistan. Almost nobody quotes them at the counter, which is why complaints drift.

We read the State Bank of Pakistan consumer protection pages at sbp.org.pk on 8 September 2026.

The deadlines your bank is working to

Note the two different clocks. Fifteen days is the general rule. Thirty days is the specific rule for fraud.

What the acknowledgement must contain

The 48 hour acknowledgement is not just a message saying received. The State Bank sets out what it has to carry.

It must confirm receipt of the complaint, briefly describe the complaint process, state the timeline to resolve or decide the complaint, and give contact details for following it up. It can come by SMS, email, recorded line or post.

So if you get a bare acknowledgement with no timeline and no contact point, the acknowledgement itself is incomplete. Ask for the missing parts in writing, because that is also the moment you establish the date your clock started.

Where a complaint needs detailed investigation, the bank owes you an interim reply after 10 working days stating the expected time for the final one. Fraud, embezzlement of funds and repayment disputes are the examples the State Bank gives for that category.

Every bank must have a complaint unit that reports to the top

Banks are instructed to run a Consumer Grievance Handling Mechanism, with a Complaint Management Unit and a centralised Complaint Management System.

That system has to handle complaints received by post, fax, email, website or through the bank's call centre. The unit is headed by a senior position reporting directly to the chief executive of the bank.

That last detail is worth knowing. The complaint desk is not meant to sit inside the branch that caused the problem, and it does not report to the branch manager.

If your complaint is refused, the bank must tell you the reasons and the justification on which it was denied. A refusal without reasons is not a complete answer.

Unauthorised debits are squarely in the Mohtasib's jurisdiction

People often assume the Banking Mohtasib is for disputes about charges and service. The published grounds are wider than that.

They expressly include fraudulent or unauthorised withdrawals or debit entries in accounts. They also cover delays or fraud in the payment or collection of cheques, drafts or other banking instruments, or in the transfer of funds.

Other listed grounds include complaints from holders of foreign currency accounts, complaints about remittances to or from abroad, complaints about mark up or interest rates where an agreement or a State Bank directive has been violated, and complaints about payment of utility bills.

So an unauthorised debit is not a matter you have to argue into scope. It is on the list.

The order you have to follow

1. Complain to your own bank's Complaint Management Unit, in writing.
2. State in that letter that you intend to refer the matter to the Banking Mohtasib if it is not resolved to your satisfaction.
3. Wait. If no reply comes within 45 days, or the reply does not satisfy you, you may file with the Banking Mohtasib.
4. File on the prescribed complaint form, attaching copies of all correspondence and documents.
5. Send copies, never originals.

The instruction to say in your letter that you intend to go to the Mohtasib is not a threat, it is part of the published process. Leaving it out can cost you time later.

Our guide to complaining to the Banking Mohtasib covers that stage in full, including what it can order and how to appeal a decision.

Where SBP fits, and where it does not

The State Bank has a Consumer Protection Department that deals with complaints against banks, development finance institutions and microfinance banks.

Two limits are published and both matter. Microfinance consumers do not fall within the Banking Mohtasib's jurisdiction, so they go to the State Bank instead. And the State Bank does not intervene in matters that are subjudice, meaning pending before a court, or already with a law enforcement agency such as the FIA or NAB.

The State Bank also says complaints requiring urgent action, such as an ATM issue, can be lodged with it. When you do, it asks for the complete name and address of the bank and the branch involved, the names of the officials you dealt with, and a complete description with a chronology of events.

That chronology request is the practical instruction hiding in the guidance. Write the sequence of events with dates and times before you write anything else.

What to do in the first hour

Deadlines only help if the complaint is made. The first hour is about stopping further loss and creating a record.

Block the card or the channel through the bank's helpline, and note the time and the reference number you are given. Then put the same thing in writing to the Complaint Management Unit, because a call alone leaves you dependent on the bank's own recording.

Keep the SMS alerts, the transaction references and the times. If a one time password was involved, note whether you received it and when.

Our guide to a payment that failed while money left your account covers the different case where a transaction did not go through, and our guide to a failed card payment at a shop counter covers the same at a point of sale. Our guide to checking which SIMs are registered on your CNIC matters here because a SIM you do not control can receive the codes that protect an account. Our guide to bank charges covers the separate question of deductions that are authorised but unexpected.

Common questions

How long does a bank have to reply to a fraud complaint in Pakistan?

The final reply must be issued within 30 days of the complaint being lodged.

How quickly must my complaint be acknowledged?

Within 48 hours of receipt, with the process, the timeline and follow up contact details.

What if my complaint is not about fraud?

Seven working days for a minor complaint, and in any case disposal within 15 days.

When can I go to the Banking Mohtasib?

If your bank does not reply within 45 days, or the reply is unsatisfactory, after you have complained in writing.

Are unauthorised withdrawals covered?

Yes. Fraudulent or unauthorised withdrawals or debit entries in accounts are a listed ground.

What if I use a microfinance bank?

Microfinance consumers are outside the Banking Mohtasib's jurisdiction and can approach the State Bank instead.

Last checked and sources

Last checked 8 September 2026. We read the State Bank of Pakistan consumer protection pages at sbp.org.pk on that date. The instruction to banks, microfinance banks and development finance institutions to put in place a Consumer Grievance Handling Mechanism; the requirement for a Complaint Management Unit headed by a senior position reporting directly to the chief executive, and a centralised Complaint Management System handling complaints received by surface mail, fax, email, website or call centre; the acknowledgement within 48 hours of receipt by SMS, email, recorded line or surface mail confirming receipt and briefly describing the complaint process, the timeline to resolve or decide the complaint and contact details for follow up; the interim reply after 10 working days where the matter requires detailed scrutiny, with fraud, embezzlement of funds and repayment disputes given as examples; the resolution within 7 working days for a complaint of minor nature; the statement that in any case the complaint must be disposed of within 15 days; the statement that in fraud related cases the final reply must be issued within 30 days of lodging the complaint; and the requirement to give reasons and justification where a complaint is denied, are all taken from those pages. The Banking Mohtasib grounds quoted, including fraudulent or unauthorised withdrawals or debit entries in accounts, delays or fraud in payment or collection of cheques, drafts or other banking instruments or transfer of funds, foreign currency account holders, remittances to or from abroad, mark up or interest rate complaints based on violation of an agreement or State Bank directives, and payment of utility bills, are from the same source, as is the process of writing to the bank stating an intention to refer the matter, the 45 day wait, the prescribed complaint form, and the instruction to share copies rather than original documents. The note that any person aggrieved by a decision of the Banking Mohtasib may file a representation to the President within thirty days under the Federal Ombudsmen Institutional Reforms Act 2013 is from the same pages. The exclusion of microfinance consumers from Banking Mohtasib jurisdiction, the State Bank's non intervention in subjudice matters or those before a law enforcement agency such as FIA or NAB, and the details it asks for when a complaint is lodged with it, are also published there. Procedures change, so confirm the current position with your bank and with the State Bank before relying on a deadline in a dispute. Nothing here is legal advice.