How It Works
Scammers send an email, SMS, or call claiming to be from the Income Tax Department, saying you have a pending refund. To "process" it, they ask you to click a link and enter your bank details, PAN, or Aadhaar — which the link then steals.
Real Example
Email: "Income Tax Dept: You have a refund of ₹15,470 pending. Click here to verify your bank account and claim it." The link leads to a fake site that steals your banking credentials.
Red Flags 🚩
- Unsolicited message about a "pending refund"
- Link asking you to enter bank account or card details to "claim" the refund
- Sender email address doesn't match the official incometax.gov.in domain
- Urgency to claim before a deadline
Protection Steps 🛡️
- Income tax refunds are credited directly to your linked bank account — no link-clicking required.
- Check refund status only on the official incometax.gov.in portal.
- Never enter bank details through a link from an SMS or email.
- Report phishing emails to incident@cert-in.org.in.