“Dear Taxpayer,
You have been approved an income tax refund of Rs. 15,490/-, the amount will be credited to your account shortly. Please verify your account number 5XXXXXXX6755. If this is not correct, please update your bank account information by visiting the link below. https:// bit. Ly /3535wpyhalK87”
The above email is not from the FBR authority but it’s too late if you already clicked the provided link in the email and provided your true personal and financial information.
In the uproar and fear of taxes and accountability by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on the non-filling of returns, keeping benami assets (doing benami transactions) and tax evasions. Phishers are active in tricking and trapping tax payers and fillers. Although emails and mobile messages for notices, penalties and tax refunds scams are not new, it is trapping taxpayers since FBR has eased the return filling procedure and launched IRIS portal. It’s amplitude in the last two months has increased and many tax payers fallen in this trap. These emails request your personal and financial information by luring you in the name of tax refunds or scaring you by possible imposition of tax penalty.
First of all, ‘’Never expect a tax refund message by FBR, FBR hasn’t and till date has no SOP to communicate tax refunds by mobile messages or emails”. Now coming on the emails, FBR do send emails registered for your accounts on IRIS portal and just communicate if you have received any notice in the inbox of your IRIS account, just to be sure that taxpayer is notified that he has received a notice from FBR, even full text is not shared on email and taxpayer must view his inbox on IRIS portal to read what is about.
Phishing is not new, remember “Jeeto Pakistan WhatsApp messages” of congratulating recipient for winning gold just to obtain recipient personal and banking information and login credentials. It is very important for recipients of such messages and email, without getting excited or panic just verify such messages from the authority or organization it is mentioning.
Tips for identifying and avoiding being preyed of phisher and phishing emails.
- Number and Email address
- Phishing emails and messages do not have proper or inconsistent email address. Albeit they keep email address to imitate original organization but if they are keenly observed then one can identify them.
- They will not specifically address you
- Instead they will use general greetings and will address with “Dear Taxpayers”, “Dear Sir/Ma’am” or “Dear Recipient”.
- Compare the email address with the actual website domain of the organization.
- Remember FBR has domain of “fbr.gov.pk” and FBR do not use any other address.
- Never click on any link provided in the Email
- FBR will never ask you to click any link neither will ask you to provide your login credentials of any account whether it be IRIS or you bank account.
- Consult an advisor or consultant
- They have awareness of the changes and recent developments in the industry.
What you should do once you are sure that it’s a trap?
Report it, report it to the authority and report it to Google so that these traps can be removed from the online web.
Report to Google through following link:
https://safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish/?hl=en
Report it to National Response Center for Cyber Crime through following link:
http://www.nr3c.gov.pk/creport.php
Or at least forwards that email to FBR on:
FBR already took serious action against these email frauds and trying to aware people through press releases.
Some phishing email samples that FBR issued in relation to this fraud are below kindly be safe and aware your friends and family.
For any business/tax consultation you can write to me through contact me.
Related Reading
HOW TO RETRIEVE / RESET FBR (IRIS) ACCOUNT PASSWORD
Talal Hassan 
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