Hyderabad commuter’s FASTag nightmare exposes system loophole
HYDERABAD: A simple one-digit difference in a vehicle registration number turned a routine road trip into a harrowing ordeal for Hyderabad resident Nabeel Nawab, exposing significant vulnerabilities in the national FASTag system.
On March 1, while traveling from Hyderabad to Mumbai, Nawab was stranded at the Outer Ring Road entry when his HDFC Bank FASTag was unexpectedly blacklisted. Although his account had a balance of over Rs 600, the tag displayed a “failed to load balance” error and denied access.
His attempts to resolve the issue through customer service revealed a significant flaw in the electronic toll collection system. “When I called HDFC customer care, I was shocked to learn that a new IDFC FIRST Bank FASTag had been issued for my car on February 28, something I NEVER applied for,” Nawab recounted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
HDFC representatives told him they could not assist further because the new IDFC FASTag had overridden his existing tag. IDFC customer care also declined to speak with him, citing security protocols and stating they would only communicate with the registered mobile number, which was not Nawab’s.
With assistance from toll plaza vendors, Nawab discovered that IDFC FIRST Bank had issued a FASTag to another person whose vehicle number differed from his by only one digit. The other registration ended with 9230, while Nawab’s is 8230. “One digit mistake, huge trouble,” Nawab summarized.
The commuter eventually managed to track down the other vehicle owner, obtained an OTP from him, and secured a new FASTag, but at an additional cost of Rs 900. While he could finally continue his journey to Mumbai, the financial loss extended beyond the immediate expense. His Rs 3,000 annual pass, purchased for the HDFC FASTag, was rendered completely useless.
Shocking 😮
I was traveling from Hyderabad to Mumbai on 1st March 2026. The moment I entered ORR, my @HDFC_Bank FASTag suddenly showed blacklisted.
I tried checking my balance (₹600+ already available) but it kept saying “failed to load balance.”
After calling HDFC customer… pic.twitter.com/By8ztTmUly— nabeel nawab (@nawabnabeel) March 2, 2026
“This is a massive loophole in the FASTag system,” Nawab said. “What’s meant to be a convenience has become a serious hassle, and honestly, scary. If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
The incident raises concerns about the verification protocols banks use when issuing FASTags. The current system relies primarily on vehicle registration numbers, which can lead to significant issues if errors occur.
Another X user Mohan S, responding to Nawab’s social media post, highlighted where the system likely failed, “Normally any bank issuing the FASTag gets the copy of RC of the Vehicle and after verification only fastag is issued. I think either at the bank level or at the NCPL [National Payments Corporation of India] end there is a negligence which caused this.”
This comment highlights possible lapses in the document verification process. Proper checks of Registration Certificate copies could have prevented the one-digit error before issuing a new tag to the wrong vehicle.
Following Nawab’s public post, HDFC Bank’s official customer care handle responded on March 2: “Hi Nabeel, we deeply regret the inconvenience and distress this situation has caused. This is certainly not the experience we want for our customers. To enable us to investigate this matter with the urgency it requires, please DM us your registered mobile number, email ID”.The bank has assured a thorough investigation into the matter.
The incident has raised broader concerns about the FASTag system, which was intended to streamline toll collection and reduce congestion. Since its mandatory implementation, millions of vehicles have been equipped with FASTags, making them essential for road travel.
