Bhubaneswar: With the Income Tax Return (ITR) filing season underway, the Bhubaneswar-Kataka Commissionerate Police has issued a public advisory warning people against cyber fraudsters circulating fake Income Tax notices through WhatsApp.

In a social media post, the police cautioned that scammers are impersonating the Income Tax Department and sending fraudulent notices with attachments designed to trick users into downloading malware or revealing sensitive personal information.

The advisory highlights that fraudsters often create a sense of urgency by claiming that the recipient has a pending tax refund or an important tax-related issue requiring immediate action. Victims are then asked to open an attached file, which may be in formats such as .zip or .exe. According to the police, downloading such files can infect devices with malware.

The police warned that once a device is compromised, cyber criminals may gain access to banking details, passwords and other personal information, leading to financial fraud and identity theft.

Citizens have been advised to avoid downloading suspicious attachments, refrain from clicking unknown links, and verify any tax-related communication through official government channels before taking any action.