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Is this income tax refund message real?

Fake IT department SMS, refund links, and PAN verification

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We never ask for OTP, UPI PIN, or passwords

About this scam type

Tax Refund Scam

Fake income tax refund SMS or email link to phishing pages collecting PAN, Aadhaar, and bank details. Refunds are processed through the official Income Tax portal only.

Who is targeted: Tax filers during assessment and refund season (typically mid-year).

Warning signs

  • !Refund link via SMS instead of incometax.gov.in
  • !Urgent refund expiry in 24 hours
  • !Request for OTP on fake login page
  • !Refund to unknown UPI instead of bank account on file

What to do

  1. 1Log in only at incometax.gov.in
  2. 2Check refund status in official portal after login
  3. 3Never enter credentials via SMS or email links
  4. 4Call IT helpline from official website if unsure

How this check works

This check uses rule-based pattern matching only — not live database lookups. We cannot confirm something is safe; we flag known scam patterns. Results are guidance, not legal or financial advice.

See FAQ for how checks work and what we never collect.

If you were scammed

Report at Contact for helpline links, or read reporting steps in our FAQ.