Got income tax notice? It could be FAKE - How you can check its genuineness

In recent times, several reports of fake income tax notices being served to certain individuals have come out. The Income Tax Department has now come up with certain steps to shield taxpayers from these fraud practices by unscrupulous elements. Now, a taxpayer can check whether the notice served to him/her is genuine or not. The tax filers can verify the tax claim notice through the Income Tax Department e-filing website. A user can search for orders or notices putting 'PAN, assessment year, Document Number, Notice Section, month, year of issue, etc.

Now, income tax notices by the Income Tax Department will carry a computer-generated document identification number (DIN), stated a Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notification. 

Here's how to know that the income tax notice is genuine: 
1. The taxpayer has to go to the Income Tax e-filling portal - incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in 
2. The users can find  "Notice/order issued by ITD" under the 'Authenticate' tab below quick links
3. A user can authenticate by putting document number, PAN, assessment year, month and Year of issue or notice Section. 
4. The candidates have to put captcha code and click on Submit. 
5. If the notice or order is genuine then the details will be available.

This step was taken by the Income Tax Department to curb fraudulent tax notices and frauds. The taxpayers can easily identify and phishing emails and fraudulent communications through this facility. The Income Tax Department uploads on its e-filling website all the notices it sends to the taxpayers on emails. Therefore, it can be easily found.