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Is an income tax refund message on WhatsApp asking you to call a number or click a link? Treat it as suspicious: do not call, click, reply, or share personal or banking details. In a report dated 7 August 2024, Akashvani said Jammu Cyber Cell Police had warned the public about refund messages and advised recipients to ignore them and report cybercrime through 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in. This is a report of a 2024 warning, not a newly issued warning for 2026.
Is this income tax refund message on WhatsApp real?
A message claiming that you are owed a tax refund and directing you to call a number or open a link matches the type of message covered by the Jammu Cyber Cell Police warning reported by Akashvani. That alone does not establish who sent a particular message, but you should not use its contact details or link to check a refund.
The Income Tax Department says it does not request detailed personal information through email and advises people not to reply to suspected phishing messages, open their attachments, or click their links. The department’s guidance is about phishing communications generally; it does not establish that every refund notification on WhatsApp is fraudulent.
Should I click the link in an income tax refund message?
No. Do not follow instructions in a suspicious message or enter credentials, tax-account details, bank information, passwords, or one-time passwords on a page reached through its link. Do not call a number supplied in the message either.
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To check your refund or e-filing information, open the Income Tax Department’s official portal yourself and sign in to your own account: Income Tax Department e-Filing portal. The department has previously clarified that refund messages asking users to follow a link were fake and advised taxpayers to update personal details through their own e-filing account.
How do I report a fake income tax refund message?
Report a suspicious number or link
Use the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal’s “Report Suspect” facility to submit identifiers such as a WhatsApp number, website URL, phone number, email ID, SMS identifier, social media URL, or Telegram handle. This is useful for reporting a suspicious identifier even if you have not lost money.
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Open cybercrime.gov.in and choose the portal’s suspect-reporting option. Include the relevant number or URL and any other requested details. Avoid forwarding the message or engaging with the sender as a way of gathering more information.
Report if you have been targeted or suffered a loss
The national portal directs cybercrime victims to report through cybercrime.gov.in or by calling 1930. Akashvani’s 7 August 2024 report attributed this advice to the police advisory: “People are advised to report any cyber crime on the toll-free number 1930 and visit the website www.cybercrime.gov.in.”
Act first if your e-filing account may be compromised
If you suspect someone has accessed or misused your e-filing account, the Income Tax Department says to report the matter first to the concerned police or cyber-cell authorities. It says an online criminal complaint or FIR may also be filed through the national portal. Use the department’s account-misuse guidance for the current instructions: How to report account misuse.
What to do after receiving the message
- Do not click its link, call its number, reply, or open attachments.
- Do not enter sensitive information through a page linked in the message.
- Check refund or filing information by signing in through the official e-Filing portal you opened yourself.
- Submit suspicious numbers or URLs through the portal’s “Report Suspect” facility; if you are a victim, report through the national portal or call 1930.
- If you believe your e-filing account was misused, contact the concerned police or cyber cell first.
What is established about the warning
Akashvani reported the Jammu Cyber Cell Police warning on 7 August 2024. The original police advisory was not located, so the warning’s details here are attributed to that contemporaneous report. The sources reviewed do not establish how widespread these particular WhatsApp messages were or how many people were affected.
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