Income Tax advisory on phishing scams, shares list of trusted emails, website urls & text codes

Income Tax advisory on phishing scams, shares list of trusted emails, website urls & text codes

Income Tax Department has issued an advisory alerting assesses on phishing scams.

Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information from the target person such as usernames, passwords, bank/credit/debit card details etc. by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity through electronic communications i.e. email, text and whatsapp messages, phone calls etc. It often directs users to a fake website that lookalike a legitimate site asking to enter personal information.

A typical phishing scam related to income tax assessee, they might be asked to click on a malicious link sent to them in order to claim refund etc.   

In view of the common methods adopted by the scamsters, the income tax department (CBDT) has asked taxpayers to know the trusted sources before clicking on any link sent to them via email, SMS or Website link (url).

The CBDT has given the following inclusive list of trusted sources under each of the three category which alone should be trusted by the assessee before clicking on any link.

(a) Trusted Email

The tax payers should note that any email purporting to from Income Tax Department should be from any of the following domain only:

(i) @incometax.gov.in

(ii)  @incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in

(iii) @tdscpc.gov.in

(iv) cpc.gov.in

(v) @insight.gov.in

(vi) @nsdl.co.in

(v) @utiitsl.com

(b) Trusted SMS Source Code

Any SMS/Test Message from the following source could only should be relied upon:

(i) ITDEPT

(ii) TDSCPC

(iii) ITDEFL

(iv) ITDCPC

(v) CMCPCI

(vi) INSIGT

(vii) SBICMP

(viii) NSDLTN

(ix) NSDLDP

(x) UTIPAN

(c) Trusted websites

only the following website url are genuine (check the url of the website in the address bar of the browser)

(i) https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in

(ii) https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in

(iii) https://www.tdscpc.gov.in

(iv) http://insight.gov.in

(v) https://nsdl.co.in

(vi) https://www.utiitsl.com

CBDT has warned taxpayers not to disclose their personal or financial details. In case you receive an email / SMS directing  you to a fake website , forward it to webmanager@incometax.gov.in or incident@cert-in.org.in

• Order u/s 263 enhancing disallowance quashed as CIT (A) has power of enhancements – ITAT
• Penalty section cannot be subject matter of revisionary jurisdiction under section 263
• Related party transaction u/s 40A(2) shall be treated as bona fide, unless evading tax
• ‘Transfer of property’ not include ‘acquiring’ of property or ‘purchasing’ of property – ITAT
• AO was not justified in questioning cash withdrawals from bank account – ITAT