SCAM Alert - Fake Income Tax Notices

The prevalence of online bank scams is not a recent phenomenon and has been in existence for quite some time. These scams involve scammers deceiving individuals through fraudulent messages pertaining to KYC verification, credit card updates, or bank account modifications. Their primary focus is on individuals facing urgent situations such as PAN card updates. In addition to the counterfeit PAN update scam, a new scheme has emerged that is rapidly spreading, specifically targeting individuals with fake income tax notices.

It seems that they are particularly targeting NRIs with these fake income tax notices. Here is an example of a Fake Income Tax notice received by our client who is based out of Qatar.  

Fake Notice Sample 

As a general rule, before you respond to any communication received by you in the name of income tax department, it is important to verify whether the notice/order issued is genuine and issued by the income tax authority.

You can authenticate the the notice/order/letter issued by the income tax authority on the e-filing portal. Let us understand different ways to verify the same.

In this case, the notice contained all the details and looked very genuine plus the notice was sent from the an email that looked authentic but when we checked in detail, it turned out to be completely fake.

How To Authenticate Notice/Order Issued by ITD?

Income Tax e-filing Portal

One of the first things that we recommend is to log into your account on income tax e-filing portal and checked the e-proceeding section. In the case of above client, there was no proceedings and NO notice.

Authenticate with PAN, Document Type, Assessment Year, etc

The Authenticate Notice / Order issued by ITD service is available to both registered and unregistered users of the e-Filing portal as a pre-login service to verify the authenticity of a Notice, Order, Summons, Letter or any correspondence issued by Income Tax Authorities.

You can authenticate the the notice/order/letter issued by the income tax authority on the e-filing portal. Let us understand to verify the same.

Step 1: Go to income tax e-filing portal at www.incometax.gov.in. In home page, go to ‘Authenticate notice/order issued by ITD’ under ‘Quick Links’.

Step 2: You can authenticate using:

1. PAN, document type, assessment year, issue date and mobile number (for notice/order/letter issued for AY 2011-12 and subsequent years only)

Step 3: If you select want to authenticate by PAN, document type, assessment year, issue date and mobile number, select the option and enter all the details.

Step 4: After filling all the details, you will receive an OTP. Enter the OTP received.
Once the OTP is validated, the DIN of the notice issued along with the date of issue of the notice will be displayed.

If the notice is not issued by the ITD, if will display a message – No record found for the given criteria.

Authenticate with Document Identification Number and mobile number

Step 3(1): Another alternative is to authenticate using DIN and mobile number.

Step 3(2): Enter DIN and mobile number and continue. You will receive an OTP. Validate using OTP.

If the notice/order is issued by income tax authority, it will display a success message as shown below.

Otherwise, it will show- No record found for the given Document Number

DISCLAIMER

The contents of this article are for information purposes only and do not constitute an advice or a legal opinion and are personal views of the author. It is based upon relevant law and/or facts available at that point of time and prepared with due accuracy & reliability. Readers are requested to check and refer relevant provisions of statute, latest judicial pronouncements, circulars, clarifications etc before acting on the basis of the above write up.  The possibility of other views on the subject matter cannot be ruled out. By the use of the said information, you agree that we are not responsible or liable in any manner for the authenticity, accuracy, completeness, errors or any kind of omissions in this piece of information for any action taken thereof. CA Mitesh and Associates is India's leading Cryptocurrency Taxation Firm which is committed to helping people navigate complex tax laws and banking regulations. Our main aim is to assist the individuals with applicable laws & regulations compliance and providing support at each & every level to make sure that they stay compliant and grow continuously. For any query, help or feedback you may get in touch here - Appointment with CA. Please note the all consultations with the CA are Paid consultations. Financial Year 2023.