NBR Warns of Scams Targeting Taxpayers with Audit Exemptions
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) in Bangladesh has issued a warning to taxpayers about a fraudulent scheme where individuals impersonate NBR officials to extort money. These scammers contact taxpayers, often via personal mobile numbers, claiming their tax documents have been selected for audit. They then offer exemptions from this audit or threaten legal complications, demanding illegal payments. The NBR emphasizes that its officials never communicate about audits through personal phones or unauthorized channels; official selection for audit is always communicated via formal written notice as per law. Taxpayers are urged to be vigilant and not engage in any financial transactions based on such calls. All tax payments and fees must be submitted solely through government challans to the state treasury, and no NBR employee is authorized to accept payments through mobile banking services like bKash, Rocket, or Nagad, or via personal bank accounts. If a taxpayer receives a suspicious call, message, or email, they should verify the information by contacting their respective Deputy Commissioner of Taxes office. The NBR also advises reporting any such fraudulent activity, where individuals pose as NBR officials to demand money, to the nearest law enforcement agency and to preserve the scammer's phone number. The NBR is committed to providing a harassment-free and transparent service and strongly urges taxpayers not to fall victim to these scams. So far, over one lakh taxpayers have been selected for audit in three phases. The latest selection on June 29 included 5,014 taxpayers, following 15,494 in July of the previous year and 72,341 in April. The selection process for the 2023-24 tax year utilizes a fully automated system, and taxpayers can check if their returns were selected by searching the NBR website using their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
This situation highlights a common vulnerability in tax administration systems where the complexity of audit processes can be exploited by bad actors. The NBR's proactive warning aims to mitigate financial losses for taxpayers and maintain public trust in the revenue collection system. The reliance on automated selection for audits, while promoting efficiency, also necessitates robust security protocols to prevent the misuse of information and ensure legitimate communication channels are exclusively used. Future considerations for tax authorities might include exploring digital identity verification methods for official communications and establishing more direct, secure channels for taxpayers to confirm audit selections, thereby reducing opportunities for impersonation and fraud.
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