The Ministry of Finance has issued a warning to taxpayers regarding an increase in fraudulent schemes involving counterfeit summonses allegedly sent by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
Recent observations reveal that individuals with fraudulent intentions are creating and sending counterfeit summonses to taxpayers, regardless of whether they are being investigated by the DGGI, stated the press release from the Ministry of Finance. Despite appearing authentic with Document Identification Numbers (DIN), these fraudulent summonses are not authorized by the DGGI, prompting significant concerns about the misuse of official channels for illicit activities.
The press release stated that in reaction to these fraudulent actions, the DGGI has taken rigorous steps, including informing and lodging complaints with the police against those behind the creation and circulation of counterfeit summonses. Additionally, to aid taxpayers in verifying the legitimacy of communications from the department, the CBIC has issued Circular No. 122/41/2019-GST dated November 5, 2019, underlining the significance of generating and referencing DIN on all communications dispatched by CBIC officers to taxpayers.
Moreover, taxpayers are encouraged to utilize the ‘VERIFY CBIC-DIN’ feature on the CBIC’s website or the DIN Utility Search tool on the online portal of the Directorate of Data Management (DDM), CBIC, to authenticate any communication, including summonses, received from the department.
