Income Tax officials issue fact-check against fake e-mails offering to download e-PAN card

New Delhi, Dec 7: The Income Tax Department has issued a fact-check to alert citizens against fake e-mails asking people to download e-PAN card, an official said on Sunday.

The fact-check, issued with the help of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), said, "Beware of Fake Emails asking to download e-PAN cards." The PIB also circulated a screenshot of showing the phishing e-mail which offered "A step-by-step guide" to download e-PAN card online. The Income Tax Department clarified that it does not request detailed personal information through e-mail.

"Do no respond to any emails, links, calls and SMS asking you to share financial and sensitive information," the department said.

The Income Tax Department added it does not send e-mail requesting your PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts, a statement said. The Department, in an advisory, said that if people receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be the authorised by Income Tax Department or directing you to an Income Tax website then do not reply and do not open any attachments.

"Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer," it added.

The advisory said, "Do not click on any links. If you click on links in a suspicious e-mail or phishing website then do not enter confidential information like bank account, credit card details." It also cautioned citizens against cutting and pasting the link from the message into their browsers as the phishers can make the link look like real, but it may actually send you to different websites.