NEW DELHI: The Union Finance Ministry on Thursday warned citizens about a rise in incidents involving fake summons being circulated in the name of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for cheating and extortion.
In a social media post on X, Finance Ministry stated that these forged documents often closely resemble authentic ED notices, making them difficult for the public to distinguish.
To counter this, the ED has rolled out a new system for issuing summons. The updated notices are system-generated and include a QR code along with a unique passcode, enabling quick and reliable verification.
In a move aimed at protecting individuals from being defrauded by conmen, on October 8, ED introduced a new system for generating summons embedded with a QR code and a unique passcode.
Citizens can confirm the authenticity of any ED summons either by scanning the QR code printed on the document or by visiting the official ED website.
This initiative will allow recipients to verify the authenticity of the summons they receive.
Reiterating safety guidelines, Finance Ministry clarified that it does not conduct digital or online arrests, urging people to remain alert and avoid falling victim to fraudsters impersonating ED officials.
“Summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate can be verified using the QR code printed on them or by visiting the official ED website. The ED does not conduct digital or online arrests. Citizens are advised to remain vigilant and not fall prey to fraudsters impersonating ED officials,” the Finance Ministry’s post added.
