Urgent Warning: Fake Income Tax Refund Emails!
Don’t fall for it! The Income Tax Department is issuing a strong warning about fake emails asking for “urgent manual confirmation” to process your income tax refund. These are phishing scams designed to steal your personal and financial information.
How to Spot the Scam
- The IT Department will NEVER ask for your bank details, PIN, passwords, or any other personal information via email. This is the golden rule!
- Any email demanding “urgent manual confirmation” for a refund is a red flag.
What to Do (and What NOT to Do!)
- ONLY verify your refund status on the official website: incometax.gov.in. Bookmark it to be safe!
- DO NOT click on any links in suspicious emails.
- DO NOT reply to these emails or open any attachments.
- NEVER copy and paste links from these emails into your browser. Scammers can redirect you to fraudulent sites.
Protect Yourself!
- Keep your anti-virus software, anti-spyware, and firewall updated. These tools are your first line of defense against malicious software embedded in phishing emails.
Report It!
If you receive one of these scam emails or find a website pretending to be the IT Department, please forward it immediately to:
- webmanager@incometax.gov.in
- incident@cert-in.org.in
When forwarding, try to include the Internet header of the email; it contains crucial information that helps authorities track down the sender. After forwarding, delete the message from your inbox.
Stay vigilant and protect your financial information! The IT Department is committed to keeping you safe from these fraudsters.