ITR Refund Scam messages have been seen nowadays beware of this scam as fraudsters try to trick people by providing a link to claim their tax refund.
Income tax department said scammers can steal your money costing lakhs by sending fake messages, emails or links by asking for personal and financial details to process the refund.
Protect from falling victim to the ITR refund scam
To protect from such scam, never click on suspicious links, and always verify the source before sharing any sensitive information with unknown sources.
IT Department also alert taxpayers “Don’t fall for fake pop up messages”
Messages may send by fraud –
“You have been approved an Income Tax Refund of Rs, 15000/-, the amount will be credited to your account shortly, Please verify your account number 5XXXXX6777. If this is not correct, please update your bank account information by visiting the link.”
IT department also posts an incident in twitter where a man lost Rs 1.5 lakh after clicking on a fake refund message. He was directed to a fraudulent app, which resulted in his phone being hacked and money being debited from his account.
Official channels to report ITR refund scams
If you receive such suspicious email or link forward it to webmanager@incometax.gov.in
For phishing mail not pertaining to the Income Tax Department, forward the same to incident@cert-in.org.in.
FAQs
Income Tax Department sends notices for mismatch in return, scrutiny or outstanding tax with following specific guidelines. But fraudsters may try to scam you by sending fake income tax notices.
Carefully check the email ID or requests. Genuine communication from the IT Department does not ask for sensitive details through email or messages.
They will ask for details such as PAN number, bank account information, passwords, or OTPs to access your accounts.
Immediately contact your bank to secure your accounts, change your passwords, and report the incident to the authorities.