Income Tax Refund Fake Link Scam by SMS

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

A text message is the cheapest way for a scammer to reach thousands of phones at once, and the sender name can look like a bank, a courier or a government office. Income Tax Refund Fake Link Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A message says an income tax refund is approved and asks you to confirm your bank account on a link. The page steals net banking and OTPs.

What income tax refund fake link scam looks like by SMS

• A request to call a number, install an app or share an OTP.
• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.
• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.

The scammer times the campaign near the days when many people file returns. The message includes a made-up refund amount, often an attractive round number. The sender name is a mobile number or a header that resembles an official one. Emails go further and add a logo and a footer with a fake grievance address, so it seems like a standard departmental notice.

Red flags to check on the text message

• A refund appears for a return you did not expect.
• It asks for card number or net banking login to receive money.
• The refund is said to expire within hours.
• The link is not the official address you type yourself.
• It threatens blocking, arrest, disconnection or a fine unless you act at once.
• It promises a refund, prize or cashback you never asked for.

What to do

1. Do not use the link or send any fee.
2. Check your refund status only on the official e-filing website, typed by hand.
3. Confirm your registered bank account inside the official portal if needed.
4. Open the official app or type the official website yourself to see if there is any real notice.
5. Paste the text into a scam checker (Safeavio Sentinel can check it) before you do anything else.
6. Report the sender on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) and block the number.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 at once if money left your account.
2. Ask your bank through the number on your card to block net banking and cards.
3. Register a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the message and the page address.
4. Change your net banking and email passwords from a clean device.

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

Safeavio Sentinel's scam check reads a pasted message and explains the red flags, such as an expiry deadline, a refund that needs your OTP and fake authority. The link check helps you notice lookalike addresses before you open them. The password exposure check gives only a date and a rough result for passwords you enter. It cannot see your refund status or confirm what the tax department owes.

Full guide: Income Tax Refund Fake Link Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: email, WhatsApp.

Questions