Summary of this article
Fake RBI letter promises Rs 1 lakh payment after refundable tax request.
PIB Fact Check warns public against fraudulent messages seeking payments.
Verify financial claims through official sources before sharing money or details.
Messages and letters claiming to offer financial benefits or pending payments often attract attention from recipients, especially when they mention government or other reputed institutions. Recently, a letter circulating online and claiming to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has drawn attention after it mentioned a requirement to pay a certain amount as tax in order to to receive a pending payment of Rs 1 lakh.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), PIB Fact Check said that the letter asked recipients to pay a refundable tax amount of Rs 7,500 to facilitate the release of a pending payment of Rs 1 lakh. It said: “This letter is fake.”
The letter, which carried the name of RBI Manager Arun Kundra, was addressed to a recipient and claimed that a payment of Rs 1 lakh was supposed to be credited to the recipient’s account by the RBI, but was put on hold due to a transaction failure. It further said that since the amount was large, the recipient was required to pay a refundable tax amount of Rs 7,500 to the RBI. The message also claimed, “The total amount will be credited (Rs 1,06,800) within 10 minutes.”
The government’s fact-checking arm clarified that the RBI does not contact members of the public through unsolicited phone calls, emails or messages asking them to make payments or share personal information. The central bank does not seek sensitive details, such as bank account information, passwords or OTPs through such communication.
People who have been deceived by such scams should report the matter to local law enforcement agencies and register their complaints. Taking timely action can help authorities look into such fraudulent activities and prevent further misuse of people’s trust.
People can report such suspicious content related to the central government through PIB Fact Check for verification. The platform helps verify claims circulating online and provides clarity on whether government-related information is genuine. The incident shows the importance of checking financial messages before making any payments.
