NHAI announces helpline and email for incorrect FASTag toll deductions. ₹1 lakh penalty on toll agencies for such erroneous transactions.
If you face an incorrect FASTag deduction without crossing a toll plaza, you can now report it at 1033 toll-free number or send an email to falsededuction@ihmcl.com for a chargeback.
To ensure fair deduction of the toll fee, a strict penalty of ₹ 1 lakh will be imposed on toll agencies for such erroneous transactions.
This was announced today, on 4 March 2025, by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in their post on X.
The given email address for false deduction complaints appears to be of the Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL).
Ever faced an incorrect #FASTag deduction without crossing a toll plaza? Report it at 1033 or falsededuction@ihmcl.com for a chargeback. To ensure fair deduction of the toll fee, there is a strict penalty of ₹1 lakh fine imposed on toll agencies for such erroneous transactions. pic.twitter.com/fnvfrDRfiR
— NHAI (@NHAI_Official) March 4, 2025
Having an email address to address this kind of an issue and get a redressal, is really helpful, based our own experience of having to deal with a wrong deduction last year.
Our experience with such a wrong FASTag deduction last year and how we got reimbursed
You'd have seen such wrong deductions of tolls in the news, where the vehicle had never even crossed the toll booth which had deducted the toll amount.
This kind of an incident happened with us too, last year, and we got back the wrongly deducted amount after registering a complaint with the FASTag issuing bank.
The NHAI's post today on X instantly reminded me of one such incident that we ourselves had faced last year in 2024, where our vehicle had got an incorrect FASTag deduction at a toll plaza that we had never crossed. The vehicle was stationary at home all day and had never even been taken out anywhere in days. But yet, there was a message received on toll deduction at a toll plaza that was several kilometres away!
What had happened last year in 2024 is:
- We got a message saying toll was deducted at a toll booth for our vehicle's FASTag. But our vehicle hadn't gone anywhere, let alone pass through that booth which was several kilometres away.
- We tried calling the official helpline number of the FASTag issuing bank, as on their official app back then. It was the same number as the one received in deduction message. Tip: Always check the official app or website to confirm the official contact numbers and never trust on a received message alone.
- Despite trying FASTag issuing bank's helpline multiple times, there was no response.
- We then called 1033. They told us to try the same FASTag issuing bank's helpline number.
- We kept trying the FASTag issuing bank's helpline at intermittent times, and then it finally connected to a representative.
- Our complaint was heard and registered.
- The issue was resolved on their end and we got a refund to our FASTag account after 5 days.
So, don't worry if it happens to you too, and register your complaint as soon as possible. As per the above NHAI's announcement on X today, it gives you the 1033 helpline and an email address too for registering false deductions on your FASTag.
As per the data given by NHAI, in the year 2024 alone, refunds were given for 12.55 lakh incorrect toll transactions, out of a total 410 crore FASTag transactions.
Let me explain below in a bit more details of what had happened last year when our vehicle's FASTag got such a wrong deduction when it had never crossed the toll plaza that day. First thing we did was try the issuing bank's helpline number, but it was unresponsive despite multiple attempts to call it. Then we had called the NHAI's helpline number 1033.
When I had called 1033 back then in last year, the person on the phone had told me to call the FASTag issuing bank on their FASTag related helpline number to resolve the issue, and when asked for an email to report it to as the issuing bank's number was unresponsive despite multiple calling attempts, he had told us that there was no email set up for that purpose and that we had to enquire about it with the FASTag issuing bank itself.
This had left me gobsmacked because I had earlier seen in prominent news media articles that had mentioned to contact 1033 for this purpose, but the person on that number was telling me that they don't take such wrong deduction complaints on 1033 and that we should be calling the FASTag issuing bank's FASTag related helpline number for that.
However, despite trying all morning, the FASTag helpline number of ICICI which was the issuing bank, was not even connecting or nobody was receiving the call. There was no specific email which was listed for that purpose too, even on their side.
After trying to call the issuing bank's helpline number unsuccessfully several times all morning, finally someone received the call in the afternoon and apologised for the delay, took our complaint and acknowledged it and said that they'd investigate the matter and also said that any wrongly deducted amount will be reimbursed to our FASTag account within 7 working days.
And later, after 5 days, the wrongly deducted amount was indeed reimbursed to our FASTag account, as the FASTag issuing bank's customer care executive had told us.
However, it was a frustrating hassle trying to call the issuing bank's helpline number so many times from morning till afternoon until the call finally connected and someone actually received it. A quick email would've been more helpful back then, but that option was not available then.
What still baffles me is, when the FASTags are unique and the FASTag is assigned and affixed on one vehicle only, how can that vehicle's FASTag even wrongly get deducted at some toll booth which is several kilometres away from where the vehicle is at that moment. And especially when, in our case, it was a toll booth that we had never crossed before in that vehicle.
Anyway, today's announcement by NHAI is a good one, and with an email address available to specifically report such incidents too, I believe it is much better and easier now to report such incidents in the form of a written complaint, if such a false deduction happens.
Also, with a hefty fine imposed on the toll agencies, they'll probably be more careful now onwards. So, based on our own experience with this thing, in our opinion, this could actually turn out to be a relief to all FASTag users.
And even though now the aforementioned number and email are provided by the NHAI on their today's announcement on X, contacting your issuer bank's FASTag related number may perhaps also help as before, which will be available in your FASTag issuing bank's FASTag related website or app.
We hope this helps you with any such issue that you may face. Happy travelling! :-)