New Delhi [India], November 20 (ANI): 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.

Earlier, in a press release on October 8, the ED stated that officials have been instructed to issue summons exclusively through this system, except in exceptional circumstances.

Each system-generated summons will carry the official's signature, stamp, email ID, and phone number for correspondence.

Individuals can authenticate a summons by either scanning the QR code or entering the summons details online. Verification can be conducted 24 hours after the summons is issued, excluding weekends and public holidays.

Summons issued outside the system can be verified by contacting the designated ED contact via phone or email.

The ED has designated Assistant Director Rahul Verma as the point of contact at its headquarters in New Delhi. Verma can be reached at [email protected] or on 011-23339172 for verification purposes.

The initiative comes in response to recent cases where scammers impersonated ED officials and issued fake arrest orders, misleading the public in the name of 'digital arrests.' (ANI)