The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has cautioned citizens against fraudsters who are sending fake summons and posing as agency officers to cheat or extort money. The agency said several “unscrupulous” individuals have recently circulated forged summons that appear identical to genuine ones issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.
To tackle the menace, the ED has introduced a QR code-based verification system for all official summons. Each authentic summons will now bear a unique passcode and QR code at the bottom, along with the issuing officer’s signature, official stamp, email ID, and contact number, the agency said.
Citizens can verify the authenticity of such summons either by scanning the QR code, which redirects to the ED’s official website, or by manually visiting https://enforcementdirectorate.gov.in and selecting the “Verify Your Summons” option. The verification can be done 24 hours after the summons is issued (excluding weekends and public holidays).
In cases where summons are not system-generated, verification can be sought from Assistant Director Rahul Verma at the ED headquarters in New Delhi. He can be reached at 011-23339172 or via email at adinv2-ed@gov.in.
Meanwhile, the agency has also issued an alert about scammers defrauding people through fake `Digital Arrest` schemes, in which victims are shown bogus arrest orders purportedly issued by the ED or other law enforcement agencies. The agency clarified that there is no concept of “digital” or “online arrest” under the PMLA. “All arrests by the ED are carried out physically, in person, and after due legal process,” it said.
Reaffirming its commitment to curbing such fraudulent practices, the ED urged citizens not to fall prey to conmen impersonating its officers and to verify any communication received in its name.
