New Delhi:
The Income-Tax Department has asked taxpayers to guard against possible breach of their personal e-filing account and report such an instance to the police cyber security wing.
“If you think your e-filing account many have been compromised or accessed in an unauthorised manner, then you may be a victim of cybercrime,” the department said in an advisory.
“Please report the incident to the concerned police or cyber cell authorities as a first step,” it said.
The e-filing account of an individual or entity is accessed by logging on to the web portal of the department– https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in.
A senior official said the advisory has been issued in the wake of an increased vulnerability and attacks on online systems as the country and the world battle the COVID-19 pandemic and more online systems are being used due to a major scaling down of human interface.
The department also suggested that a person can also file an online criminal complaint/FIR by visiting https://cybercrime.gov.in/ that has been launched by the government “to facilitate victims and complainants to report cybercrime complaints online.”
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The advisory added that the department, on its part, will also share information related to a cyber crime instance “with relevant law enforcement authorities when so summoned under their statutory powers of investigation.”
“As a general precaution, please do not share your login credentials or other sensitive information,” it said.
The e-filing account is used by taxpayers to file their income tax returns (ITRs) and perform a host of other tax-related works.
