Revealing any personal information on social media can lead to online fraud. The income tax department of India has strictly warned all taxpayers not to disclose their 10-digit PAN on social media. It said that the disclosure may cause misuse.
During the ITR season, many taxpayers write to the IT department on its Twitter handle requesting solution for their queries. In the queries, some taxpayers tend to forget to maintain their privacy and disclose the PAN in tweets, even if the IT department’s social media team warns them not to do so.
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Taxpayers oversee the cases of personal data being misused for identity theft where fraudsters use your name to make illegal transactions without your knowledge.
In a separate announcement, Universal Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has also asked Aadhaar cardholders not to share their 12-digit Aadhaar number in public or social media. Aadhaar is linked with PAN, bank accounts, and passport. If a fraudster gets to know Aadhaar number, he can figure out the other linked details too.
The IT department has come up with an online query form where you can ask questions and get them answered by IT department officials. You must mention your name, PAN, assessment year related to the query, mobile number, email address, detailed query, and social media user ID. You can primarily ask questions related to e-filing of ITR and processing/claiming a refund.
For any clarifications/feedback on the topic, please contact the writer at apoorva.n@cleartax.in
