Mumbai, August 1: It came as a huge relief to many tax payers as the deadline to file your  Income Tax Returns (ITR) got extended to August 31, as compared to the previous date of July 31.  Taking advantage of the last minute confusion, and panic which many people do, phishing fraudsters have become active to lure victims into their trap. According to a Times of India report, taxpayers have been receiving emails, very similar to the original government one, asking people their net banking details, to receive their 'refunds'.

If you do not file you ITR for 2017-18 within the prescribed time, you may have to pay a fine of up to Rs 10,000 besides interest. Early filing of ITR also ensures that you get your refund, if any, in time.

The report mentions that a fraud email address has been sending emails to taxpayers. The fake id is donotreply@incometaxindiafilling.gov.in as compared to the real one which is donotreply@incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. In the fake id, the 'e' is missing from efiling and filing is spelt as 'filling'.

Keep in mind the following things:

  • The original government id is- donotreply@incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. and the website is https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/home.

  •  Income Tax Department will send you proper notice if there is a refund

  • Income Tax Department will never ask you to send card details, PIN card, OTP

  •  If there are changes, you will have to fill a form before you can receive the refund amount.

  • Any refund that is due will be made through NEFT

  • Don't click on any unknown mail

Therefore, one should never respond to such suspicious emails, and share personal bank details like OTP, account number and PIN information.  As the deadline August 31 approaches, more such fraudulent activities will also increase. Therefore, it is very important to keep your eyes and ears open and not fall prey to any of the phishing mails.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 01, 2018 03:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).