Scammers turn up the heat as SARS season nears

Tax season is creeping closer, which means two things are likely to land in your inbox: real messages from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and fake ones wearing a convincing little taxman disguise.

Thalia Pillay, cofounder and CEO of Orca Fraud, says public awareness is critical because SARS-related scams are becoming harder to spot. “Check your SMS inbox or email inbox. There’s a good chance a message claiming to be from SARS is already waiting for you, whether it’s a tax refund you never filed for or an urgent settlement demand designed to trigger panic.”

She warns that tax season usually brings a spike in messages pretending to be from SARS. Most South Africans with a smartphone are likely to receive at least one of these scams this year.

The danger is that SARS has indeed moved most of its communication online, so an email or SMS does not necessarily look suspicious any more. Scammers know this. They use official-sounding language, fake refund amounts, urgent deadlines and links that look almost legitimate.

Pillay identifies four SARS scams that taxpayers should watch out for:

1. Fake settlement notice

This one usually arrives as an email or SMS saying you owe SARS a certain amount. It may include a payment deadline, bank account number and reference number.

The message is designed to make you panic and pay before you think. But SARS will not send its bank account details via email or SMS. It will also not ask for your banking details in this way. Genuine tax payments have to be made through eFiling or the SARS payment portal.

A real SARS message should include your taxpayer number, ID number and name. If these details are missing, step away from the trapdoor.

2. Fake refund SMS

This scam tells you that SARS owes you money. That may be a lovely message to receive, except you may never have filed a return or claimed a refund. The SMS may say a specific refund amount is waiting and ask you to click on a link to verify your details or link your credit card.

SARS will never ask for your credit card details. Refunds are paid into the bank account already registered on your eFiling profile. There is no ritual to link cards, no links to click on, no digital treasure hunt.

Pillay notes that one scam circulating uses the domain “sarsdue.xyz”. Real links for SARS should go to sars.gov.za.

3. Fake letter of demand

This may say SARS has issued a letter of demand, that a court summons is coming or that you may be blacklisted. The aim is to push you to click on a link or open an attachment. This link may lead to a phishing site designed to steal your personal information.

SARS has flagged this type of scam before. It does not send hyperlinks to other websites for legal notices, banking or debt demands. If SARS has issued genuine legal correspondence, you should be able to see it by logging into your eFiling profile directly.

4. The fake auto-assessment notice

This one looks helpful. It may tell you to confirm your compliance status, update your banking details or complete your auto-­assessment by clicking a link. The link may take you to a fake website that looks like eFiling. Once you type in your details, the scammers have what they need.

SARS does not send links to external websites for compliance checks or banking updates. Go directly to sars.gov.za and log in yourself.

Pillay says taxpayers should also remember that SARS keeps a live scam log with hundreds of documented examples on its website. If you are unsure about a message, check it against the scam alerts or contact SARS directly.

Suspicious messages can be reported to phishing@sars.gov.za. You can also call the Fraud and Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 00 2870.

The safest rule is boring but effective: don’t click, don’t panic, don’t pay from a message. Go straight to SARS through the official website and check your profile there. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.