Fraudulent Rs 6,000 income tax notice flagged by PIB fact check team

The Press Information Bureau's Fact Check team has confirmed that a notice circulating online, asking taxpayers to pay Rs 6,000 as tax, is a phishing scam. The fake message urges recipients to make an immediate payment, targeting those expecting tax refunds or who have already paid their taxes. The Income Tax Department never asks for sensitive financial details via email or messages, the PIB said.

Both Economic Times and Livemint report that such scams impersonate the tax department through official-looking emails and fake websites to steal usernames, passwords, and bank details. Taxpayers are advised not to reply, open attachments, or click on links in suspicious messages. Phishing emails and fake websites can be reported to [email protected] and [email protected], or forwarded to the PIB fact check team via WhatsApp at +91 8799711259 or email at [email protected].