Taxpayers have begun to receive tax refunds in their bank accounts following the completion of the income tax return (ITR) filing season. Likewise, miscreants have begun to prey on unsuspecting assesses by sending out fraudulent SMSes with phishing links. For example, taxpayers are receiving messages like “Important Alert! Dear xxxxxxxx, the lncometax_Department requires you to click the link below to submit a formal request for the payment of your unclaimed and overdue tax-refund of xx,xxx INR. https://151.80.90.62/ITRefund.” Several unaware taxpayers might consider this to be an authentic SMS sent by the income tax department to claim their tax refund. However, the situation is the opposite.
Taxpayers receiving such messages are requested not to click on any such link that promises to facilitate the filing of ITR or give refund. Because it’s a trap or digital fraud! Always remember any government institution or department never sends personal SMS or mail for any document or KYC or returns. Never click on any short link that asks for your personal information and bank details including Pin and OTP.
Further, any attachments sent by mail should not be entertained. Such attachments can even steal your data including financial information or contact details. Hence it’s advised not to trust such personal messages sent by unknown and unverified numbers. In case of income tax returns, taxpayers are requested to visit the official website of the department- http://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. You can also check the status of your return via this website.
How To Check A Fake SMS?
The department has also published a detailed note on reporting and identifying phishing, fraudulent refund e-mail scams, and fake income tax websites on its website.
The I-T department has clarified that it does not send e-mails requesting detailed personal information, nor does it send e-mails requesting PINs, passwords, or other information for credit cards or bank accounts.
If you click on the link sent by scammers in the fraudulent SMS, you may be asked to submit sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card information. This is a classic case of phishing, in which an attempt is made to enter information into a fake website that looks and feels almost identical to the legitimate one.
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