Related Blogs
Aadhaar, PAN & ID Guides
PAN Card Fraud - Identify and Report for Misuse of PAN Card
Table of Contents
A PAN card is a very necessary document that is issued by the Indian Government. This document is also used by the Income Tax Department to understand the financial history of the taxpayers. The tax details and the finances of a taxpayer can be easily tracked with the PAN card. Also, this important card is used as proof of date of birth and identity. Nowadays, the misuse of such PAN cards is increasing a lot. The fraud activities can cause monetary loss and even identity theft.
In this blog, we have provided the details of the PAN card fraud. You can also learn the ways to avoid the misuse of the PAN card. You can also check whether your PAN card is being misused or not, and how you can complain about it.
What is PAN Card Fraud?
The meaning of the PAN card fraud is that someone has used your PAN card details for criminal activities. The PAN card details can also be used to impersonate you. In the worst-case scenarios, the criminals can misuse your PAN card to commit a financial crime.
Examples of PAN Card Frauds
- Someone can use your PAN card to take out loans. The responsibility of loan repayment falls upon you.
- Any criminal can use your PAN card to open a bank account and use it for doing frauds. As the scams are happening under your name, you will be held responsible for them.
- You might receive a message asking to update your PAN card. Generally, these messages contain a link, and after you enter the OTP, you may lose your money.
- It is a real example: Once the cyber criminals get the credit cards in the name of the celebrities by using their PAN Card details.
- Criminals can also purchase jewellery by using the PAN card details.
How to File a Complaint About PAN Card Misuse?
To complain about your PAN card fraud, you can follow the steps given below:
- Visit the official portal of the Tax Information Network.
- Go to the top right corner and click on the customer care section.
- From the drop-down, select the option 'Complaints/Queries'.
- Fill in all the details in the complaint form, write your complaint, then enter the captcha, and click on the submit button.
How to Check Misuse of PAN Card?
- Visit a credit bureau website to know your credit score.
- Look for the option to check your credit score.
- Enter your data and your financial information.
- Verify the OTP that has been sent to your phone number.
- Your credit score will appear on the screen. You can know from your credit score whether your PAN card has been misused or not.
You should regularly check your bank statements to keep track of your transactions. If you see any suspicious transactions, then you should immediately contact your bank.
Also Want to Know About How to Link PAN with Aadhaar Card Online? Check Now!How to Avoid PAN Card Frauds?
In this section, there are some ways by which you can avoid the PAN card fraud:
- While visiting any website, check whether the URL starts with 'https'. The 's' in the 'https' stands for secure. It represents that the website is encrypted. Hence, it would be safe if you enter your PAN number on such websites.
- While submitting your PAN card photocopies, you need to attest them with a reason for submission.
- Do not enter your date of birth and full name on any of the suspicious websites.
- Regularly track your credit score.
- Check Form 26AS for all the transactions that are linked to the PAN card.
Final Thoughts
You should keep your PAN card and its details safe and secure, so that you can save yourself from potential fraud. You need to stay alert regarding the PAN card frauds and take all the precautions. If you face any suspicious transactions in your bank account or you feel like something is wrong, then you should contact your bank or the Income Tax Authorities and tell them about this.
Recent Post
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, your identity can be stolen by any criminal along with your money by using your PAN card. So, you must keep your PAN card safe and secure.
Yes, a PAN card can easily be misused for doing the crimial activities. One of the examples is that the criminal can impersonate you and complete your financial transactions in your place.
To report a PAN card fraud, you need to log in to the Tax Information Network of the Income Tax Department. And then to file a complaint, you need to go to the customer care dropdown.
Yes, the PAN cards can be easily faked, and you should always take major precautions whenever you use a PAN card.
If your PAN card is stolen, then you should report this situation to the Income Tax Authorities. You need to visit the online portal of the Tax Information Network and then file a complaint.
Anyone can get all the tax and finance-related information from the PAN card. Apart from this, it can also be used as a valid ID proof for most of the services.
To deactivate your PAN card, you need to visit the online portal of the Tax Information Network of the Income Tax Department.
You can check the PAN card details by visiting the online portal of the Tax Information Network of the IT department.
