The Indian government has issued a serious warning to all its taxpayers about a widespread phishing campaign that falsely claims to offer an upgraded “PAN 2.0” card with QR code support.
According to an advisory by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check, fraudsters have been sending deceptive emails to individuals, falsely claiming the launch of a new version of the Permanent Account Number (PAN) card with enhanced features such as QR codes.
This scam works by sending you an email with subject lines linked to “PAN 2.0 Cards” from suspicious email IDs such as info@smt.plusoasis.com. The messages urge recipients to click on a link to download their so-called “e-PAN”. Though they appear official, they are part of a cybercrime campaign designed to steal sensitive personal and financial information.
The PIB Fact Check team has officially labelled these emails as fake and confirmed that they do not originate from any legitimate government department. In a social media post, the bureau advised: “Do not respond to emails, calls & SMS asking you to share financial & sensitive information and report such phishing emails.”
The Income Tax Department has also reiterated that it does not send unsolicited messages asking for bank details, passwords, or personal credentials. PAN and e-PAN services are provided only through authorised government portals, not through email links.
Explaining how the scam operates, officials said a user receives an email claiming that a new PAN card version with QR code support is available. The message also includes a link to download the upgraded e-PAN card (Digital Version of Pan Card).
Once the user clicks on the link, it redirects the user to a fake government alike website where the user is asked to enter sensitive information such as their PAN Card number, Aadhaar Card and bank account numbers. This data is then collected by scammers for identity theft or financial fraud.
Taxpayers have been advised to follow a few key precautions to stay safe:
Always verify the source of any government communication.
Official emails typically come from domains like @gov.in or @nic.in.
Avoid clicking on suspicious links or sharing personal data online.
Those who receive such phishing attempts are urged to report them immediately to the cyber wing of the Government at the email address webmanager@incometax.gov.in or incident@cert-in.org.in.
Follow us
