February 13, 2024

Beware of Fake GST Notices and Summons, Caution by Ministry of Finance

Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) has come across certain cases where taxpayers are getting fake GST summons and GST Notices. Some persons are involved in these kind of activities with fraudulent intent. Notices are sent to taxpayers who may or may not be covered under the DGGI.

Taxpayers are unable to differentiate the fraud summons from the genuine as it contains all details similar to original summons including Document Identification Number (DIN). However, this Document Identification Numbers are not issued by the department.

To spread awareness among taxpayers, the CBIC has issued a press release dated 10th Feb, 2024 to Caution the taxpayers against fraudsters sending fake and fraudulent Summons for GST violations.

To safeguard the taxpayers from such practises, the CBIC has suggested taxpayers to take care of below mentioned points:

A. Verification of DIN on CBIC Portal

As per Circular No. 122/41/2019-GST dated 05 November 2019, CBIC instructed GST officers regarding generation and quoting of DIN on communications sent by CBIC officers to taxpayers.
Taxpayers have a window to verify such DIN.
Taxpayers can verify the genuineness of any communication (including Summons) from the Department by using the ‘VERIFY CBIC-DIN’ window on the CBIC’s website or the DIN Utility Search on the online portal of Directorate of Data Management (DDM), CBIC.
DIN mentioned on GST Notices and summons can be checked at https://esanchar.cbic.gov.in/DIN/DINSearch.

B. Action to be taken in case of fake summon or notice is received

CBIC has directed that taxpayers who get summons from DGGI/CBIC formations that seem suspicious or possibly fake may immediately report them to the concerned jurisdictional DGGI/ CBIC office also for verification, so that necessary action against those responsible for these fraudulent activities can be taken.

As per GST officials, to deal with the issue of fake summons and notices, 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.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are strictly of the author and VJM & Associates LLP. The contents of this article are solely for informational purpose. It does not constitute professional advice or recommendation of firm. Neither the author nor firm and its affiliates accepts any liabilities for any loss or damage of any kind arising out of any information in this article nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

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