What goes through your mind when you see any income tax notice land in your email? Other than the surprise and fright the second obvious emotion is suspicion. Is this notice a scam? You’re in right if this thought crosses your mind. Scammers often dupe you with fake official communication to steal personal information or fraud you out of money.
Rather than panicking over the situation, you verify the authenticity of the notice using the following ways:
Is the Email ID Official?
The first and most obvious way to verify the authenticity of a notice sent by the IT department is to cross-check the email ID from where it has been sent. The tax department sends all its communications from its official email ID which ends with incometax.gov.in such as intimations @cpc.incometax.gov.in.
Income Tax Online Tool
Scammers are smart. Often they can fake their way into forging near identical email IDs with a slight variation that may be difficult to identify. The second best way to verify any IT notice is the user-friendly tool on the Income Tax Department’s official website. The tool can help you verify the authenticity of any notice or order you receive within seconds.
Step by- Step guide to using the online notice authentication service:
This pre-login service is available to everyone, regardless of whether you're registered on the e-filing portal.
- First of all, visit the Income Tax e-filing portal, i.e., https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/.
- Under ‘Quick Links’, you will find an option that says "Authenticate Notice/Order Issued by ITD". Click on this option.
A new page will open where you will have to choose between two authentication options:
PAN, Document Type, Date of Issue, and Mobile Number
Or
Document Identification Number (DIN) and Mobile Number:
You can authenticate your notice using either of the two methods by following the steps mentioned below:
1. Authentication based on PAN, Document Type, Date of Issue, and Mobile Number:
- First, fill up your PAN (Permanent Account Number) details in the blank area
- Next, select the type of document (notice, order, etc.) that you want to verify
- Then choose the assessment year for which the notice has been issued and enter the date the notice was issued
- Fill in your mobile number in the next column: After this, you’ll receive a one-time password (OTP) on this number.
- Fill up the OTP received on the number filled above and then click on ‘Continue’
- If the information matches a genuine notice from the Income Tax department, you'll receive a confirmation message. If not, it will indicate the notice is invalid.
2. Using Document Identification Number (DIN) and Mobile Number:
- Here, instead of PAN details, enter the Document Identification Number (DIN) as mentioned on the notice you have received.
- Enter your mobile number for OTP verification
This online authentication service by the Income Tax department is beneficial to identify notice scams and also helps you not fall victim to phishing attempts that come across as official communication. However, you should also note that the tool only verifies the authenticity of the communication, not the content of the notice. If you’re confused about the notice itself, it is better to consult a tax professional.
