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Bhubaneswar Police Warn of Fake Income Tax Notices on WhatsApp
The Bhubaneswar‑Cuttack Commissionerate Police issued a public advisory on August 5, cautioning taxpayers that cybercriminals are circulating counterfeit Income Tax notices through WhatsApp. The fraudulent messages impersonate officials of the Income Tax Department, contain malicious links and attachments—often .zip or .exe files—and are designed to trick recipients into installing malware or disclosing banking credentials, passwords and one‑time passwords.
Police urged citizens to avoid opening such files, to verify any tax communication only via official government channels, and not to share personal or financial details over messaging apps. They also warned against messages promising tax refunds or demanding immediate action to avoid penalties, and asked the public to report any suspicious WhatsApp messages to the authorities.
Entities
Bhubaneswar‑Cuttack Commissionerate Police · Income Tax Department of India · WhatsApp
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Police advised citizens to verify the authenticity of any Income Tax communication only through official government platforms before responding or clicking links. onlinemediacafe.com · businessnewsweek.in · businessnewsthisweek.com · pragativadi.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Police warned against messages promising tax refunds or demanding immediate action to avoid penalties. onlinemediacafe.com · businessnewsweek.in · businessnewsthisweek.com · pragativadi.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Fraudsters are posing as officials of the Income Tax Department and sending deceptive WhatsApp messages with fake tax notices, malicious links, and suspicious file attachments. onlinemediacafe.com · businessnewsweek.in · businessnewsthisweek.com · pragativadi.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Bhubaneswar‑Cuttack Commissionerate Police issued a public advisory on August 5 warning about fake Income Tax notices circulated via WhatsApp. onlinemediacafe.com · businessnewsweek.in · businessnewsthisweek.com · pragativadi.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] The messages aim to trick users into downloading malware or sharing personal and financial information. onlinemediacafe.com · businessnewsweek.in · businessnewsthisweek.com · pragativadi.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Malicious files can compromise mobile phones and computers, allowing cybercriminals to steal banking credentials, passwords and other confidential data. onlinemediacafe.com · businessnewsweek.in · businessnewsthisweek.com · pragativadi.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Police urged taxpayers not to open or download files with .zip or .exe extensions received from unknown sources on WhatsApp. onlinemediacafe.com · businessnewsweek.in · businessnewsthisweek.com · pragativadi.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Police urged the public to report suspicious communications and not share banking details, passwords or OTPs via messaging apps. onlinemediacafe.com · businessnewsweek.in · businessnewsthisweek.com · pragativadi.com