Tax Savvy Tips with TGC: SARS Scam Warning!
đź This tax season, fraudulent messages and emails have been doing the rounds as part of typical phishing attempts, but trying to get one over taxpayers by focusing on new topics. Trust filing season is kicking off, and with SAâs Individual Tax filing season drawing to a close âSARS has issued two new tax scam alerts urging taxpayers to watch out for fraudsters, including an âoutstanding amountâ scam and a âdelayed paymentâ scam.
âď¸ The Glass Castle takes a closer look at these two phishing scams doing the rounds:
- âOutstanding Amountâ Scam
Taxpayers are notified from a spoofed email account that they owe SARS an outstanding amount â that needs to be paid within 48 hours, threatening the user with blacklisting should they not comply. The mail cleverly uses SARS logos, asks/encourages taxpayers to âclick a linkâ, which then goes to a fraudulent website. - âDelayed Paymentâ Scam
This scam also comes from spoofed email addresses notifying taxpayers that there is a âpayment pendingâ from SARS, which has been delayed until attached âFICA documentsâ are reviewed. It then provides a link to a suspicious âpdfâ, which is downloadable.
đ§ SARS has urged taxpayers to steer clear of clicking any links in these emails, or reacting to any other suspicious phishing-style messages, and to report them to its fraud department. The Glass Castle also warns their clients to beware of emails, SMSs, or calls, asking for personal, tax, banking or eFiling details. SARS, or any reputable financial institution, will never send you hyperlinks to other/external websites, or send unsolicited documents that werenât requested or needed.
These latest scams join these other âclassicsâ weâve all seen before:
- Threats of SARS issuing âcourt summonses against taxpayersâ;
- Threats of SARS âblacklisting taxpayersâ;
- Threats of SARS issuing âstop orders on accountsâ;
- Notice of correspondence relating to âsolar/backup power systems/renewable energyâ;
- Notice of âoutstanding amounts owed to taxpayersâ;
- Notice of âoutstanding amounts owed to SARSâ;
- Notice of âdelayed payments pending FICA reviewsâ.
đŻ Examples of these scams and more can be seen on SARSâ scams page. Stay scam-savvy with The Glass Castle!