Genuine Vs. Fraudulent ITR Notices: A Step-by-Step Verification Guide

Income Tax Return (ITR) filing is compulsory, and if filed incorrectly, taxpayers will get a notice from tax authorities. And receiving such notice can be frustrating for many taxpayers. However, there have been several reports of citizens across India receiving fraudulent notices and falling victim to scams.

Taxpayers must know that the income tax department only sends you an income tax notice in cases of miscalculation, violation or other issues identified in your ITR filing.

Common Reasons a Taxpayer May Receive a Genuine ITR Notice:

• Mismatch in income or tax details
• Non-disclosure of income
• Late or non-filing of returns
• High-value transactions not reported
• Random scrutiny by the department

The Income Tax department follows a number of guidelines and rules before sending an ITR notice.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Taxpayers can also check the authenticity of an Notice issued by the Income Tax authorities on the e-filing portal. Here’s how you can check if the notice you have received from the income tax department is real or fake:

Step 1: Visit the official Income Tax Portal – www.incometax.gov.in.

Step 2: On the Homepage search and select the Quick Links section and then click ‘Authenticate notice/order issued by ITD’.

Step 3: Fill in the required details, such as DIN number and registered mobile number. Taxpayers can also verify the notice through PAN, Document type, issue date, and assessment year, as well as mobile number.

Step 4: Enter the OTP you received after filling in the details.

Step 5: On being validated, if the income tax notice is real, the screen will display a success message or else it will show no record found for the given document number.

Taxpayers should not panic if they receive any fake notice and should not open any link sent by the scammer. Then verify if your income tax notice has a DIN (unique number), which is compulsory for an income tax notice to have. The DIN number is easily traceable compared to a fingerprint.

If a notice doesn’t carry the DIN number, then it is not genuine. In such cases, the IT Department says, “the notice/order/letter received by you would be treated as invalid and will be non est in law or deemed to be considered as if it has never been issued.”

“Every communication by the Income Tax Department issued on or after October 1, 2019 will carry a unique Document Identification Number (DIN).” stated the Income Tax Department and also added that taxpayers can verify authentication of notice/order or any communication via its official portal.

Taxpayers should stay alert and informed against tax-related frauds. They should always double-check any communication they receive. The Income Tax Department has put systems in place to help you verify and stay protected.