Don’t fall for emails about urgent manual confirmation of Income Tax Refund, it’s fake

2 min read | Updated on July 21, 2025, 15:22 IST

SUMMARY

Fraudsters are targeting people with a new phishing attack by asking for their personal information through a fake email pretending to be from the Income Tax Department. Scammers use this information for identity theft and financial fraud, among other things. Individuals must take all precautions to avoid these scams and protect themselves.

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Income Tax Department never sends emails requesting PIN numbers, passwords or other financial or personal information from users.

Have you received an email relating to an Income Tax Refund, asking you to urgently provide a ‘manual confirmation’ by providing personal details? It is a phishing scam!

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The Income Tax Department said in a social media post on X, “Fake Income Tax Refund Email Warning! Received an email about an "Income Tax Refund" requiring urgent "manual confirmation"? This is a #phishing scam! The IT Dept NEVER asks for bank details or personal information via email. Always verify refund status ONLY on the official website (http://incometax.gov.in). Never click suspicious links!”

The IT department shared a poster as well, which stated how Ramesh, a small business owner, avoided the scam by verifying the information through the official helpline.

The IT department never sends emails requesting PIN numbers, passwords or other financial or personal information from users.

If you’ve received a phishing email, the IT Department advises avoiding replying, clicking on any links or opening any attachments. Further, users are advised to refrain from copying and pasting the link on their browser as the link can redirect them to fraudulent websites.

“Use anti-virus software, anti-spyware, and a firewall and keep them updated. Some phishing e-mails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the internet without your knowledge. Anti-virus & Anti-spyware software and firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files,” the IT department’s advisory states.

If you have received any such email or have found a website which you think is pretending to be of the IT department, forward the e-mail or website URL to webmanager@incometax.gov.in and incident@cert-in.org.in.

The IT department has also asked individuals to ‘forward the message as received or provide the Internet header of the e-mail’ as the Internet header has additional information that can help the authority locate the sender. Remember to delete the message after forwarding it to the IT department.