ITR Refund Scam: Fake ₹60,000 email doing the rounds — Govt issues fraud warning
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So, you’ve filed your ITR and are hoping for a nice little refund. Maybe even around ₹60,000? Be careful — a fake email claiming just that is doing the rounds, and it’s convincing enough to fool a lot of people.
The government has now stepped in and issued a warning about it.
The fake email trap — too good to be true? Probably is.
A so-called “Income Tax Refund” email has been landing in inboxes lately, claiming that ₹60,128 is ready to be creditedto your account. All you need to do, it says, is “manually verify” your account details via a link.
Sounds routine, right? That’s exactly what scammers want you to think.
In reality, it’s a phishing scam, and that link leads you straight to a site designed to look like the official income tax portal — but it’s not.
Here’s what happens if you click
Clicking that fake link opens up a page that mimics the government website. Once you enter your details — name, bank info, PAN, maybe even Aadhaar — it’s game over.
That’s it. Your data is in the hands of someone you don’t want it to be with.
PIB flagged it — and this is what they said
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-checked the email and issued a public warning. According to PIB:
“This email is fake. Do not click on any such suspicious link. Always visit the official website for tax-related info.”
You can also report such emails to report.phishing@incometax.gov.in.
Not sure what to trust? Follow these rules
Here’s how to stay safe if you’re waiting on an ITR refund:
-
Never click on any refund link sent over SMS, email, or WhatsApp
-
If the email isn’t from an
@gov.inor@nic.inaddress, it’s suspicious -
Always use the official income tax site
-
Don’t share your bank or PAN details on calls unless you’re absolutely sure who’s calling
-
Enable two-factor authentication on your accounts
Also — refund updates will never ask you to verify manually through a link. The portal already has your bank details if you entered them while filing.
Scams are evolving. We need to be sharper too.
Scammers are getting smarter every year — from SMS messages to fake portals to refund baits, they know what makes people click.
So whether your refund is ₹6,000 or ₹60,000, don’t let urgency trick you into sharing sensitive data.
If you’re ever in doubt, don’t click — just log into the portal directly and check things for yourself.
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