Do you know that your PAN card can be misused by someone else?
If not, then you will be surprised to know that cases of fraud related to PAN card are increasing.
Recently, a similar case came to light with Chandan Soni, a resident of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
He came to know that a fake company had been opened in Delhi using his PAN card and that company had shown a fake turnover of Rs 9 crore.
This incident alerts us that we should take care of the security of our PAN card.
In this article, we will tell you how you can check that your PAN card is not being misused.
How to check PAN card usage:
1. Credit Score Report:
You can check your credit score report to find out whether any loan has been taken on your PAN card or not.
You can get your credit score report for free from the websites of credit bureaus like Equifax, Experian, CRIF High Mark, TransUnion CIBIL.
On these websites you will have to enter your name, date of birth, PAN card number and mobile number.
You will be sent an OTP which you will have to verify.
After this, you will see your credit score report.
In this report, you can see how many loans are in your name and their outstanding amount.
If you see a loan that you have not taken, it means that your PAN card has been used incorrectly.
2. Income Tax Department Website:
You can also check the usage of your PAN card by visiting the website of the Income Tax Department.
For this, you have to enter your PAN card number and date of birth.
Next, you will see your tax return.
In this statement, you can see how much income has been shown using your PAN card.
If you see any income that you have not earned, it means that your PAN card has been used incorrectly.
3. Bank Statement:
You can also check your bank statements to see if any unauthorized transactions have taken place using your PAN card.
If you notice a transaction that you did not make, you should inform your bank immediately.
4. PAN Card Verification Service:
You can also use the PAN Card Verification Service provided by the Income Tax Department.
For this, you have to enter your PAN card number and date of birth.
You will be sent an OTP which you will have to verify.
After this, you will see a message telling you whether your PAN card is valid or not.
If you are told in the message that your PAN card is not valid, it means that your PAN card has been used incorrectly.
If you feel that your PAN card has been used incorrectly, you should immediately take the following steps:
Inform your bank and income tax department.
File a police report.
Block your PAN card.
