Have you received an email or notice from the Income Tax Department?

New Delhi: The Cyber Crime Unit of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), has recently issued an advisory. I4C has advised people to be cautious about a new type of scam. It warns about any email resembling a government office e-notice. Before trusting such emails, individuals should verify the authenticity. These emails also have officer’s name and contact this makes the email look more authentic. Before trusting such emails contact the relevant department to inquire. Such emails could be a trap by the fraudsters.

Such cyber fraud is increasing rapidly because people are filing income tax returns. Cyber criminals are targeting people with various income tax-related scams. Emphasizing the importance of understanding and avoiding them.

How do fraudsters deceive people?

There is a scam related to income tax refund. Cyber criminals are sending fake messages or emails to people with a link included. These messages or emails claim that the link is from the Income Tax Department. Click on it and verify your bank account details to receive your ITR refund.

When you click on the link, a webpage opens that looks like the Income Tax e-filing page. On this page, you are asked to enter personal details such as your full name, PAN card details, Aadhaar number, bank account details, ATM card PIN, etc.

After entering these details, the webpage asks you to install an app. Once installed, the app requests device administration rights and many other accesses. As soon as you grant these permissions, your bank account starts getting emptied within minutes.\

Save yourself from a similar scam:

Another scam involves emails or SMS claiming to be from the Income Tax Department. It states that if you haven’t linked your Aadhaar and PAN, you will face consequences. It also threatens to block your bank account and asks you to update your information by clicking on the given link. People who haven’t linked Aadhaar and PAN yet fall into this trap. The link downloads an Android package (APK) file. When you download it, a third-party app installs, asking you to enter bank account information. As soon as you do this, money starts disappearing from your account.

Furthermore, people are also receiving emails or messages claiming they made a mistake in filling out the ITR form, and they need to update necessary information by clicking on a link provided. Upon clicking, a fake form appears asking for crucial information… Once you provide the information, the scam begins.

Now the question arises, how to protect oneself from such frauds. First, understand that any information related to income tax will only come through the official website of the Income Tax Department, ending with “gov.in” in its web address. For refunds, you do not need to enter bank details separately or download any third-party apps. Whether it’s filing ITR, linking PAN-Aadhaar, or correcting mistakes in ITR filing, remember that you can do all these tasks only through the official website of the Income Tax Department.