New Delhi, July 29: With the first deadline of July 31 passing by, tax assessees are waiting to know from the Income Tax department whether their Income Tax Returns (ITRs) have been processed and approved. Taking undue advantage, fraudsters are using bulk SMS services to con the taxpayers.

LatestLY shares with you the details of the spam message being circulated. Readers are requested to beware and warn their relatives and friends. Here is the screenshot of the fake income tax refund message.

To maintain privacy of the assessee who received the spam message, we have hidden his name

The message, sent from 'BZITREFL' or similar bulk handles, tells the user that his ITR request has been approved. It further shares a link on which the user is asked to verify or correct his bank account details.

On clicking the link, you would be directed on malicious site which intends to steal your personal data. The website has been red-flagged by several internet users. Here's the screenshot of the same:

Meanwhile, the last date to file ITRs is August 31. Assesses who fail to adhere to the deadline would be levied a penalty of upto Rs 10,000. Read here for easy steps on how to file the returns. In case your tax calculations are complex, here are the top websites which can make your task easier.

Fact check

Spam SMS Alert: Fake Income Tax Refund (ITR) Message Leads to Malicious Link Seeking Bank Account Details
Claim :

Income Tax refund (ITR) message processed and approved.

Conclusion :

The message was fake as the last date to file ITRs was August 31. Assesses who failed to adhere to the deadline were levied a penalty of upto Rs 10,000.

Full of Trash
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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 01, 2018 03:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).