With tax season in full swing, Galbraith Rushby is urging clients to stay vigilant against a surge in sophisticated email and SMS phishing scams targeting taxpayers. These scams are increasingly convincing, mimicking legitimate communications from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and other authoritative bodies.
“Phishing scams are becoming more refined and harder to detect,” said Michael Rushby, Managing Director at Galbraith Rushby. “It’s critical that our clients and all taxpayers are aware of the warning signs to protect their sensitive information.”
Key red flags to watch out for:
- Email address: Scammers often use addresses similar to official ones, such as payment@sarsmail.one, returns@sars.co.za, or refunds@sars.co.za .
Always double-check the sender’s email address.
- Subject line: Be wary of emails with urgent or alarming subject lines that prompt immediate action.
- Tax number: Verify the tax number provided. Scammers might use an individual’s tax number instead of a company’s or fabricate one entirely.
- Bank accounts: SARS does not provide bank account numbers. Be suspicious of emails listing multiple bank accounts.
- Reference number: Check the reference number carefully. Scam emails often use unusually long numbers that can appear suspicious.
- No specific addressee: Legitimate emails usually address you by name. Be cautious of emails not addressed to anyone specifically.
- PDF wording: Be alert for phrases like “and you will not be able to proceed with your Tax return filing for the 2024 Tax Season” in attached PDFs.
In recent scams, fraudsters have sent emails under various “@gov.za” addresses, attempting to appear as a legitimate source from the national government. These emails often discuss eFiling Income Tax assessments and compliance obligations, linking to a supposed “Fiscal Assessment Report.” SARS advises against opening any links in such emails and recommends deleting them immediately.
“These phishing attempts are fraudulent efforts to obtain sensitive information such as passwords and credit card details through fake emails, text messages, or websites,” explained Rushby. “If you’re unsure about the legitimacy of an email, forward it to us or SARS at phishing@sars.gov.za for verification.”
SARS has set up a webpage to share updates about new scams exploiting its name for fraudulent purposes. This resource helps taxpayers stay informed and avoid falling victim to these schemes.
To best protect themselves, taxpayers should:
- Avoid opening or responding to emails from unknown sources.
- Be cautious of emails requesting personal, tax, banking, and eFiling details.
- Remember that SARS will never request banking details via post, email, or SMS, nor will they send hyperlinks to other websites.
- Be skeptical of false SMSs and emails with *.htm or *.html attachments.
- Never provide credit card details in response to these communications.
When in doubt, check it out!!
