IT Department Urges Taxpayers to be Wary of Phishing E-mails

The Income Tax department of India recently issues a warning to inform the Indian tax payers of phishing e-mails that ask them for personal information such as credit card numbers and PAN card. The official logo of the IT department is there in the fake e-mail.

As of now, phishing scam is turning as the most vigorously featured type of Internet scam, wherein, the scammer distributes phony e-mails, and writes fake websites asking the customer to provide their personal data.

The IT department has issued the warning notice in which it has clearly mentioned that the department never forward e-mails concerning refunds and never asks for any sort of information pertaining to taxpayers' credit card. Therefore, people are warned not to reply to such e-mails. In case they respond to them, they are the one who would be completely responsible for this.

The bogus e-mail from unknown cyber felons have been received by the taxpayers at the time of filing refunds. To generate these deceptive e-mails, spammers have very well synchronized their time.

In this context, CEO and director of Appin Technologies, an IT security management firm, Rajat Khare, commented that to make taxpayers fall into the trap laid by them, the defrauders are very smartly using IT department's name and logo, as per the news published in the Rupee Times, on April 2, 2010. Further, when the gullible users provide their personal details, this information is used by the attackers to execute financial frauds.

Khare added the attackers use customer's PAN card detail to file fake income tax returns.

Scores of companies and individuals, in the last few days, have received emails by the IT department along with a form which is to be downloaded and filled by them for TDS refund.

Khare said that it is something very usual. At this point of time in the year, almost every hacker attacks the website of the IT department.

Ministry of finance reported similar incident in the month of January this year, said security experts.

The cybercrime experts said that lure for money rather than mere innocence leads people to fall in trap of the spammers or phishers.

Related article: ID Theft Victims Will Double In Next Four Years

» SPAMfighter News - 4/12/2010