Received an Income Tax Notice? Here is How to Check if it's Real or Fake:

Received an Income Tax Notice? Here is How to Check if it's Real or Fake While filing the Income Tax Return (ITR), the taxpayers are required to be extra careful, as one mistake can lead to an income tax notice issued by the Income Tax Department. The mistake can include a mismatch or missing information related to the income. However, in recent times, there have been some cases where the taxpayers have received fake income tax notices. Therefore, it is important to be well aware of what a real income tax notice looks like and how to check its authenticity.

Also Read

Received a Notice from IT Department? Know How to Handle Them Under Section 143(1)(a)

The Income Tax Department follows proper formal guidelines to send an income tax notice. Therefore, if you ever receive notice through email or SMS, avoid clicking any link without checking it. Taxpayers must note that every official communication from the tax authorities has a unique Document Identification Number (DIN), which helps to know if the notice is real or fake. If the notice you receive does not have a DIN, then it is fake. However, if the notice has a DIN, then you can still check if the DIN is real or fake. To check if a notice from the Income Tax Department is genuine, use the 'Authenticate Notice/Order' service on the official e-Filing website. Here is how to do this:

• Step 1: Go to the Income Tax e-Filing Portal of the Income Tax Department.
• Step 2: Go to the Quick Links section and click on 'Authenticate notice/order issued by ITD.'
• Step 3: Submit the DIN along with your phone number.
• Step 4: You will get an OTP on your mobile number
• Step 5: Enter the OTP to verify the details.

Also Read

Received Income Tax Notice? Know Ways to Respond, Common Types of Notices and Mistakes to Avoid

If the notice is real, you will see a success message. If the notice is fake, the portal will say, "No record found for the given Document Number." By using these steps, you can check whether the notice is real or not. Taxpayers must not panic or rush for anything upon receiving the notice. It is important to stay calm and proceed carefully. As online scam cases are rising, it is better to stay aware of these scams. Taxpayers must avoid giving their personal information in such a case.