Waiting for income tax refund? Dont click on this message else it can make your account empty; Cyber Dost alerts taxpayers
Cyber Dost, the cyber wing associated with the Government of India, has warned people about this scam through a social media post.
As the income tax return (ITR) filing's last date was July 31, 2024, for the financial year 2024, taxpayers are not waiting for their refunds who are eligible for that. At the same time, fraudsters are also taking benefit of this through messages to claim your refund.
Cyber Dost, the cyber wing associated with the Government of India, has warned people about this scam through a social media post.
In its official X account, Cyber Dost wrote, "Beware of the income tax refund scam! Fraudsters are sending messages like this one claiming you've got a refund. Always verify through official channels to protect your financial information. Stay vigilant!"
Experts say that fraudsters keep adopting new tactics to rob people, due to which the general public has to suffer the consequences. We appeal to the people not to pay attention to such messages.
What should you do if receive such an SMS?
To avoid income tax refund fraud, do not reply to messages containing offers. Also, do not click on any link. Do not share your details with anyone. Avoid following suspicious links. Do not click on income tax refund emails and links, they will redirect you to fake websites or apps due to which you can become a victim of fraud. The government says that after becoming a victim of any kind of fraud, register your complaint immediately on the cyber cell portal cybercrime.gov.in or by calling the number 1930.
How many ITRs have been filed for FY24?
The total number of ITRs for AY 2024-25 filed till 31st July 2024 is more than 7.28 crore. According to the PIB's official website, 5.27 crore of the total 7.28 crore ITRs filed for AY 2024-25 were filed in the new tax regime, whereas 2.01 crore were lodged in the old tax regime. Thus, about 72 per cent of taxpayers have chosen the New Tax Regime, while 28 per cent remain in the old tax regime.
The filing of ITRs peaked on July 31, 2024 (the due date for salaried taxpayers and other non-tax audit cases), with over 69.92 lakh ITRs filed on a single day. On July 31, 2024, the e-filing system had its highest per-hour pace of 5.07 lakh ITR filings between 07:00 and 08:00 p.m. The greatest per-second rate of ITR filing was 917 (17.07.2024, 08:13:54 am), while the highest per-minute rate was 9,367 (31.07.2024, 08:08 pm).
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