Similarly, a mail from the income tax department’s “Tax Refund Department” did the rounds a few weeks ago. In fact, those who received it were even tempted to believe it. After all, it said that “you are qualified for a refund of the sum of Rs 36,120.25,which is your accumulated tax excesses”. It then asked “valued” taxpayers to click on a link which took them to a website, which resembled the official site, and sought personal details.
“It appeared quite genuine,” admits an official. What added weight was the email ID that was mentioned — info@incometaxindia.gov.in, which is the department’s official website.
Rewards and refunds are among the most common baits to lure unsuspecting individuals into submitting their details, and often result in frauds. But recent mails and communication show that increasingly, the phishing attacks look more genuine.
On their part, government agencies and RBI can do little apart from educating individuals, especially through messages on their websites.
According to estimates, phishing losses in the first half of 2012 (January-June) stood around $4 million (around Rs 20 crore), which is just 1% of the global loss. The UK ($315 million), the US and Canada ($118 million each) have a bigger problem at hand.
With lower net penetration, Indians may have just escaped the adverse impacts. But a recent survey showed that nearly 70% were aware of it. In fact, recent trends show that Smishing (phishing via SMS) and Vishing (via voice mail) are emerging threats.