Caution: Verify and Report Suspected Fraudulent GST Summons

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), a part of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), has detected instances of individuals with fraudulent intentions creating and sending counterfeit summons to taxpayers, regardless of whether they are subjects of DGGI investigations. These deceptive summons, though seemingly genuine with a Document Identification Number (DIN), are noteworthy for featuring DIN numbers that have not been officially issued by the DGGI for the concerned entities. To address this issue, the DGGI is taking decisive actions, including notifying relevant authorities and lodging complaints with law enforcement against those responsible for fabricating and circulating these spurious summonses.

Circular No. 122/41/2019-GST, dated November 5, 2019, has been issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) concerning the generation and inclusion of Document Identification Numbers (DIN) on communications sent by CBIC officers to taxpayers. To inform taxpayers, it is emphasized that they can authenticate the legitimacy of any communication, including Summons, received from the Department by utilizing the ‘VERIFY CBIC-DIN’ feature on the CBIC’s website or the DIN Utility Search available on the online portal of the Directorate of Data Management (DDM), CBIC.

If individual taxpayers receive summons from DGGI/CBIC formations that appear suspicious or potentially fake, it is advised to promptly report such instances to the respective jurisdictional DGGI/CBIC office for verification. This proactive measure ensures that necessary actions can be taken against those responsible for engaging in fraudulent activities.

Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2004867