Your Permanent Account Number (PAN) is connected to some of your most important financial activities, from filing income tax returns to opening bank accounts and carrying out high-value transactions. This also makes PAN details sensitive information that should be protected from misuse.

If PAN information falls into the wrong hands, it could potentially be used in attempts involving unauthorised financial activities or registrations. One concern is discovering a GST registration linked to your PAN that you do not recognise.

With tax authorities scrutinising suspicious financial transactions, it is a good time for taxpayers to periodically review the information linked to their PAN and report discrepancies quickly.

Fortunately, several checks can be performed online through official government portals.

Why Checking Your PAN Details Is Important

PAN acts as a key financial identifier in India. It helps tax authorities connect various financial activities and tax-related information with a particular taxpayer.

This means an unfamiliar entry associated with your PAN should not simply be ignored.

The Income Tax Department has reportedly stepped up scrutiny of suspicious overseas fund transfers made over the past three years, with attention being paid to entities whose foreign transactions appear inconsistent with their reported business activities or income.

Against this backdrop, taxpayers may benefit from reviewing their financial records and ensuring that the activities reflected against their PAN are genuinely theirs.

How to Check GST Registrations Linked to Your PAN

One useful check is to see whether any GST registration exists against your PAN.

This can be done through the official GST portal. The process is relatively straightforward:

1. Visit the official GST portal.
2. Open the Services section.
3. Select Search Taxpayer.
4. Choose the Search by PAN option.
5. Enter your PAN and the captcha displayed on the screen.
6. Submit the details to view GST registrations associated with that PAN.

You can access the service through the official GST portal.

Review the displayed details carefully. If a GST registration or business appears that you do not recognise or have no connection with, it may require further investigation.

Do not assume immediately that every unfamiliar entry is fraudulent. First verify the registration details and then contact the appropriate authorities if it appears unauthorised.

Check Your Income Tax Records for Unfamiliar Activity

PAN holders should also periodically review their tax-related information.

The Income Tax e-Filing portal provides access to records that can help taxpayers identify financial transactions reported against their PAN.

Log in to the Income Tax e-Filing portal using your registered credentials and review your available tax information.

Two particularly useful records are Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS).

Form 26AS contains tax-related information associated with your PAN, while AIS provides a broader view of various financial information reported to the Income Tax Department.

What Should You Look for in AIS and Form 26AS?

Simply opening these statements is not enough. Taxpayers should compare the information with their own financial records.

Pay particular attention to unfamiliar entries relating to income, taxes or financial transactions.

If you discover a transaction that you do not recognise, verify it with the relevant bank, financial institution, employer or other reporting entity, depending on the nature of the entry.

Sometimes discrepancies can arise from reporting errors rather than deliberate identity misuse. Either way, unexplained information should be investigated instead of being ignored.

What to Do If You Find a Suspicious GST Registration

If a GST registration associated with your PAN appears to be fraudulent or belongs to a business you have never operated, preserve evidence of what you have found.

Take screenshots or download relevant records where possible. Note the GSTIN, business name, registration status and other information displayed on the portal.

You can then approach the appropriate GST authorities or support channels to report the suspected misuse and seek correction.

Maintaining documentation is important because you may need to establish that you did not create or operate the entity concerned.

What If Your PAN Is Being Used for Financial Fraud?

If your checks reveal signs of identity theft or cyber-enabled financial fraud, report the matter promptly.

Complaints involving cybercrime can be filed through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

In cases involving ongoing or recent financial cyber fraud, the national cybercrime helpline 1930 may also be used for reporting. Where appropriate, victims can additionally approach their local police station and file a formal complaint.

Keep copies of complaints, acknowledgement numbers, screenshots, emails, bank statements and any other supporting documents.

Don't Share PAN Copies Carelessly

Prevention remains one of the best safeguards against PAN misuse.

Avoid sending photographs or scanned copies of your PAN card through unsecured channels unless genuinely required. Before submitting PAN details to a website, application, agent or organisation, verify why the information is being collected and whether the recipient is legitimate.

Where appropriate, clearly mentioning the purpose and date on a PAN copy can also help indicate why that particular copy was shared.

Be especially cautious with unsolicited calls, messages or emails asking for PAN, Aadhaar, bank account information, OTPs or other financial credentials.

Make PAN Monitoring a Regular Financial Check

You do not need to wait until you receive a tax notice or discover a financial problem to review your PAN-linked information.

Periodically checking GST registrations, AIS and Form 26AS can help identify discrepancies sooner. It is also worth monitoring your credit report for loans or credit accounts that you do not recognise.

If something suspicious appears, verify the information first and report confirmed discrepancies through the appropriate official channel.

Your PAN is a crucial part of your financial identity. A few minutes spent periodically reviewing the records linked to it can help detect unauthorised activity before it develops into a much bigger financial or tax-related problem.