GST Refund Agent Scam by email

How it looks by email, the red flags and what to do.

Email scams copy the logos, colours and wording of real companies, and the sender address often differs from the real one by one letter. GST Refund Agent Scam is one of the ways this shows up: An agent or caller claims a large GST refund is pending and asks for a fee, login or OTP to release it. See how small businesses are cheated.

What gst refund agent scam looks like by email

• A sender address that is almost, but not exactly, the real domain.
• A button that says "Verify account" or "View invoice".
• An attachment such as a PDF, ZIP or HTML file you did not expect.

Scammers use public information such as business names and GST numbers listed on invoices or directories. They call with the correct trade name and say that a refund is stuck due to a 'mismatch' that only they can clear. Some pose as a department officer, others as a consultant with 'insider access', and they speak with the language of returns and credits.

Red flags to check on the email

• A refund that requires a fee to a personal account.
• A request for your GST portal login or OTP.
• A notice with a link to a portal address you do not recognise.
• A promise of a large refund from an unknown caller.
• The tone is urgent and the grammar is slightly off.
• Hover over the link: the address does not match the company website.

What to do

1. Do not click the link or share a login or OTP.
2. Check refund status on the official GST portal typed by hand with your own login.
3. Ask your accountant or tax professional to verify any notice.
4. Report it as phishing in your email app and delete it.
5. If you typed a password on the page, change it at once and turn on two-step verification.
6. Do not open the attachment and do not press the button.

Use Report phishing in your email app. If money or accounts are affected, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Change your portal password and check the registered mobile number and email.
2. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in if money was paid or lost.
3. Tell your bank on the number printed on your card about any suspicious transfer.
4. Inform your accountant and review filings made in your name.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's link check can look at a refund link from an email or chat before you open it and warn about lookalike portal addresses, and the scam check on pasted text marks the fee, the OTP request and the deadline. It cannot log in to a tax portal or confirm a refund, so use the official GST portal and your accountant for that.

Full guide: GST Refund Agent Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, WhatsApp, SMS.

Questions