CA Sandeep Kanoi
Recently we have read on many websites that a CA student from Hyderabad has hacked Income Tax returns account of industrialist Anil Ambani and yesterday it comes to news that one more CA student from Noida has hacked the Income Tax Return Account of Bollywood bigwigs Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and cricket stars Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.
The above CA students are not professional hackers but they are simply the CA students, who may not even be aware of simple hacking techniques. Now the question is if they are not hackers and they may not even be aware of simple hacking techniques then how they were able to hack the account of abovementioed Income Tax Assessees?
The modus operandi in both the cases was similar. The two had sent e-mails to the I-T department seeking change in the password of the person whose account they planned to hack into. The I-T department then did the needful, a procedure that highlights the fragility of the department and loopholes in the system followed by Income Tax Department.
In both the cases above the Investigation team has not only searched the office of CA student but also seized Computer and Server of the CA firm which may have also disturbed the work of CA Firm in which these students were pursuing there CA Articleship.
Need of the Hour :-
1. Chartered Accountants should educate there students about the violation of Information Technology Act at the start of articleship, so that their students do not try to hack or login into accounts of persons they are not authorise to.
2. CA should have an Letter of Authority from there clients regarding use of online e-filing account of clients as in most of the cases CA themselves upload and approve the Returns of their clients so that in past if any dispute arises CA can safeguard themselves.
3. Income Tax Department should further tighten up the security of Income tax E-Filing website.
4. Government should create awareness about Information Technology Act.
Although these CA students has committed a crime by violating Information Technology Act but the same is been done just out of curiosity and due to lack of awareness of the Information Technology Act. But being a citizen of India it is expected from us to be aware of the law of country so students are requested and cautioned to be more aware and vigilant.
Lets hope that department will take a lesson from the recent hacking incidents and will further tighten up the security of Income Tax e-filing accounts.
Author Bio
Because a few celebrities accounts’ got hacked, the rest of the assessees are being put to trouble, by asking for compulsory email id and mobile id,that can only be used by 10 assessees. PAthetic
This is high time the Department has to re evaluate the information security level of the e-fling site, indeed it has to learn the lesson from the above incident, about the integrity and safety of the data of the millions of tax payers, and throws a warning signal to the software company which is taking care of its maintenance.
CA office has no legal authority under the law for filing of income tax returns on behalf of the assessee. But fact is different, CAs filing returns of income of the assessee and as well as attending in the proceeding of the scrutiny cases.
IT department must introduce electronic device password system to prevent this type of hacking. give password through a electronic device to all assessees
An overview for the same is ca is bound by ethics. It may student or professional.
And it is always big responsibility with the CA with whom an article is joining, he has to teach about the good things of the profession and consequences of any action by the CA.
Afterall World will remains round.
I mean to say every advocate need to obtain vakalatnama before login to the account of assessee & CA need to get authority letter.
very good message almost every CA filed returns of assessees without authority letter & Advocates who are law professional also filed returns without obtaining vakalatnama from assessee.
Sir many CA’S signing projected balance sheets & project reports.
for projections no account books maintained than how can they certify projections.