Credit card issued without your consent? Here’s what you should do

livemint.com:

Restrictions have been implemented by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to protect consumers from unsolicited credit cards. This law was put into effect by the RBI to safeguard you against unsolicited credit cards and the risks associated with them, such as

Unwanted debt: Since you did not budget for the credit line, unanticipated debt may result.

Identity theft: The card may be used fraudulently if it is obtained by an unauthorised person.

This implies that unless you have specifically asked for and granted your unambiguous consent, credit card issuers (banks and NBFCs) are not permitted to send you a card. 

You are entitled to the following if you are given a card for which you did not apply:

Refusal to activate: To activate the card, do not enter a PIN or OTP. This is so that the issuer is essentially given the permission to use the credit line when the card is activated (by entering an OTP or PIN). Should the card be obtained by another individual, this may lead to unforeseen expenses or potentially fraudulent behaviour. You are under no obligation to use the card because you did not apply. You don’t intend to use the credit line if you don’t activate it.

Get in touch with the card issuer: Contacting the card issuer: If you receive an unsolicited credit card, getting in touch with the card issuer is essential. Verify the card’s details to find out if it was issued by a bank or a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). The customer service department of the card issuer can usually be reached in many ways. For instance, the issuer might offer a different toll-free number specifically for reporting unsolicited credit cards. The issuer’s standard customer service number can also be called. You might be able to use a secure