PAN 2.0: Downloading PAN 2.0 will be costly, government issued alert - do not make this mistake..

The Government of India has issued an alert regarding the PAN card scam. The government launched PAN 2.0 a few days ago. Taking advantage of this, scammers are sending emails to taxpayers to download the new updated PAN 2.0 card. The government says that such emails are not being sent from their side, in which the cardholder is being asked to download PAN 2.0. This is completely fraudulent.

The Income Tax Department and PIB have issued an alert that PAN card-related services are available only in official government portals.

Do not trust the links received on unknown emails, calls, or SMS, and do not download or update the PAN card by clicking on them. Here we are giving you detailed information about this scam related to PAN card. PAN 2.0 has been launched recently, which comes with QR code support.

Is PAN 2.0 card a scam?

In the scam related to PAN card, emails are being sent to the users from unknown email IDs. The subject of these emails is written as PAN 2.0 Cards, and inside, the users get some suspicious links. The fact-check unit of the Press Information Bureau has termed such mails as fraud and advised users to be careful.

In a post on social media, PIB has written that it has asked not to respond to any such mail, call, or message, in which users are asked for their financial or personal data.

The Income Tax Department has also clarified that it does not ask taxpayers for any kind of personal data or financial details such as bank account, password, or credit card information via email. Along with this, the Income Tax Department does not send PAN card or e-PAN card through email link.

The government has clarified that all e-PAN services are available only on verified government portals. These services are not made available through third-party links or emails.

How does the fake PAN card scam work?

Under the scam, the email received by the users claims that they are being offered a new PAN 2.0 card, which will have a QR code. In such messages, they are asked to download the e-PAN card by clicking on the link. As soon as people click on the link, a portal that looks like a government portal opens in front of them, in which they are asked to provide personal information like PAN, Aadhaar, and bank details. In this way, people get trapped in this scam.

How to stay safe?
PAN, banking or any government service is never available on email. Be careful of such fake mails and avoid sharing your personal information. If you have also received such a mail, then you should complain about it to webmanager@incometax.gov.in or incident@cert-in.org.in.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Dainik Jagran. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.