If you have just submitted your Income Tax Return and are eagerly awaiting a refund of around ₹60,000, prudence is essential—the arrival of a highly credible phishing email is convincing unsuspecting taxpayers to take the bait.The Income Tax Department has issued an urgent advisory regarding this deception.The email bears the unmistakable hallmark of a too-attractive promise: An “Income Tax Refund” message summarizes a payable refund of ₹60,128 and instructs victims to “manually verify” their account information via an embedded hyperlink.The request seems unremarkable and, therefore, the attacker’s objective is accomplished—the target is lulled into complacence.The hyperlink, however, is precisely the point of compromise; it redirects the victim to a counterfeit portal that simulates the official Income Tax Department site, yet lies outside the legitimate government domain.The implications of a click are severe. The counterfeit page solicits an alarming volume of information; full name, bank account details, Permanent Account Number, and occasionally the Aadhaar Number. Each submission is not just a release of information but an irrevocable transfer of your digital identity to an anonymous criminal participant.Once this data is entered, recovery is improbable. The agency’s advice is discernible: under no circumstance provide personal data through unsolicited correspondence.PIB investigated the recent email about ITR refunds—and this is their verdictThe Press Information Bureau conducted a verification and issued the following clarification: “This email is fraudulent. Do not engage with any link in the message. For official tax information, always navigate directly to the government website.” Suspected emails may also be reported to report.phishing@incometax.gov.in. Guidelines to help you judge what to believe If you are expecting an ITR refund, observe these precautions: Refuse to open any refund link received via SMS, email, or WhatsApp An email not ending in @gov.in or @nic.in should raise immediate doubt Access the income tax portal directly Refrain from disclosing bank or PAN information on a call, unless the caller’s identity is thoroughly validated Activate two-factor authentication on all linked accounts Refund notifications will never instruct you to verify details via an external link: the portal retains your bank information from the filing process. Scams are becoming more sophisticated. Our responses must match the threat. Each year, fraudsters refine their techniques: SMS alerts, counterfeit sites, and baited refunds are all designed to exploit urgency and trust. We must elevate our vigilance accordingly.Regardless of whether your refund amounts to ₹6,000 or ₹60,000, do not permit a sense of urgency to persuade you into divulging personal information. Should any uncertainty arise, avoid clicking on external links. Instead, access the official portal directly to verify the status on your own.
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