Fake GST notices: Finance Ministry asks taxpayers to verify summons first on CBIC site

Amid rising instances of frauds and fake notices for Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Finance Ministry has cautioned taxpayers, asking them to verify the documents on the official website. The Ministry said fake summons are being issued to taxpayers who may or may not be under investigation by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), adding that such documents can be “easily verified” on the CBIC website.

“The fake summons resemble very closely with the original due to use of the Department’s logo and Document Identification Number (DIN). However, these DIN numbers are fake and are used by the fraudsters to make the document look and feel genuine,” the Ministry said in a statement issued Friday.

Earlier in February 2024, the Ministry had issued a similar statement cautioning taxpayers about fake and fraudulent summons for GST violations. “To deal with this issue, DGGI has been taking serious steps by informing and filing complaints with the police against those involved in creating and sending fake and fraudulent summons,” it had said.

Verification on government website

The Ministry has urged the taxpayers to verify the genuineness of any communication (including summons) issued by any officer of CBIC by using the ‘VERIFY CBIC-DIN’ window on CBIC’s website https://esanchar.cbic.gov.in/DIN/DINSearch

The window provided on the CBIC website only asks for the DIN and a captcha code to verify the genuineness of the communication.

On verifying the DIN, if any individual or taxpayer finds that the summon/ letter/ notice is fake, the Ministry said they should immediately report it to the concerned office. “This will enable the competent DGGI / CGST formation to take law enforcement action against the fraudsters for using fake summons/ letter/ notice to dupe the public,” it said.

Document Identification Number  

DIN stands for Documentation Identification Number. It is a computer-generated unique number which needs to be duly quoted on every communication (letter / notice / order / any other correspondence) issued by tax authorities to any taxpayer.

The CBIC had introduced the DIN feature in November 2019 to create a digital trail for all communications sent by its officers to taxpayers. DIN is used for search authorisation, summons, arrest memo, inspection notices and letters issued in the course of any enquiry.

Like GST, every communication by the Income Tax department issued on or after October 1, 2019 bears a unique Document Identification Number. The Income Tax Department has also earlier issued advisories asking taxpayers to check the genuineness of any communication in the name of the Income Tax Department.