Tag: delay tax refund

Stay Aware: Income Tax Department Issues Warning on …

Income Tax Department Warns Taxpayers About Fake Messages and Scams

Income Tax Department warned taxpayers about such fake messages, advised them to avoid tax refund scam

Income Tax Refund Status Check: The Income Tax Department has issued a strong warning about a rise in ITR refund scams. Scammers are employing deceptive tactics such as fake calls, pop-up notifications, and phishing emails to trick taxpayers into divulging sensitive information.

The department urges taxpayers to stay alert and verify any suspicious communication through official channels.

“Do not reply to emails or visit websites that request credit card numbers, bank account details, or any other sensitive information. The Income Tax Department may contact taxpayers through the email address provided,” the IT Department said in a series of posts on social media platform X.

The post added, “The fake message may read like this: You have been approved an Income Tax Refund of Rs, 15000/-, the amount will be credited to your account shortly, Please verify your account number 5XXXXX6777. If this is not correct, please update your bank account information by visiting the link below.”

The department also shared an example of a man losing money in a scam.

“A man lost Rs 1.5 lakh after clicking on a fake income tax refund message. He was directed to a fraudulent app, which led to his phone being hacked and money debited from his account,” the X post added.

How To Report To Income Tax Department?

If you suspect an email is fraudulent, forward it to webmanager@incometax.gov.in and also send a copy to incident@cert-in.org.in.

If you receive a phishing email, the Income Tax Department advises forwarding it to incident@cert-in.org.in.

The Income Tax Department will never ask for personal or financial information via email or phone.

How to Protect Yourself:

  • Verify all communication: Double-check any communication claiming to be from the Income Tax Department through official channels.
  • Beware of suspicious links and attachments: Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources.
  • Never share personal information: Protect your credit card numbers, bank account details, and other sensitive information.
  • Report scams: If you encounter a suspicious message, report it to the Income Tax Department or relevant authorities.

Income Tax Refund: Is there a delay in giving refund money intentionally? Income Tax Department gave this answer

The deadline for filing income tax returns for the financial year 2023-24 or assessment year 2024-25 has expired. A new record was set for filing income tax returns before the deadline ended on July 31 and this time the figure crossed 7 crores. Meanwhile, taxpayers have started raising questions about the delay in getting refund money.

Similarly, a user on the social media platform X made a serious allegation against the Income Tax Department regarding the delay in getting the income tax refund money. The user says that the department is deliberately delaying the processing of the returns, due to which people are not able to get the refund money. However, the Income Tax Department has denied the allegations of the user.

New record of ITR filing

However, this year has proved to be great for the Income Tax Department. According to the data of the Income Tax Department, a total of 7.28 crore income tax returns were filed by taxpayers before the deadline this year i.e. till 31 July 2024. This is 7.5 percent more than last year. Last year, 6.77 crore income tax returns were filed by the deadline, which was a record. However, now that record has been improved this year.

Taxpayers are making such serious allegations

Raising questions about the delay in refund on X, the user has written – If a refund of more than Rs 5,000 is being made in your income tax return, then forget it. The Income Tax Department is not even interested in processing your return. Yes, if there is no payable in your ITR, that is, no refund is being made, then the Income Tax Department will process your ITR in 6 hours only.

Income Tax Department said – Wrong perception

The Income Tax Department objected to the said post on X from its official handle and termed the allegation of deliberate delay in issuing refunds and processing refundable income tax returns as wrong. The department said that the opinion being formed is wrong. It is a priority for the department to process all ITRs including refundable ITRs quickly.

Refunds of more than 1 lakh crore issued

The Income Tax Department also shared the data of refunds issued after processing income tax returns. It said that so far in the current financial year, refunds of more than Rs 1.23 lakh crore have been issued to taxpayers. Out of them, refunds of more than Rs 15 thousand crore have been issued in the last 5 days. The department does not discriminate between small or big refunds.