The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has devised a system-generated format of summons with QR code and signature of the issuing official along with contact details to shield itself from being conned. During the course of investigation, summons are issued by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act.
However, multiple instances have come to the notice of the ED where certain "unscrupulous" persons (conman) have sent summons to individuals with the motive of cheating or extortion, the ED said. Investigations were conducted in these cases of fraud by ED and recently four persons have been arrested by Delhi Police (on the basis of complaint filed by ED) who were involved in issuing fake notice for appearance, impersonating as ED officers.
These fake summons are often similar to the genuine summons issued by ED and hence it is difficult for the individuals to distinguish between the fake and genuine.
“In order to allow the individuals to verify the authenticity of the summons received by them, the Directorate of Enforcement has implemented a mechanism of generating summons through the system,” it said. Accordingly, officials of ED have been instructed to issue summons only through the system except in certain exceptional circumstances. It may also be noted that the summons generated from the system shall be duly signed and stamped by the official issuing the summons and shall also contain his/her official email ID and the phone number for correspondence purpose, it said.