South Africans have once again been warned, as tax season approaches, that scammers are stepping up efforts to impersonate the South African Revenue Service (SARS)
South Africans have once again been warned, as tax season approaches, that scammers are stepping up efforts to impersonate the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in a bid to steal personal and financial information.
According to Thalia Pillay, co-founder and CEO of Orca Fraud, tax season is a peak period for scam activity, as criminals take advantage of increased communication between the revenue service and taxpayers to make their messages appear more convincing.
"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," Pillay said.
"Tax season brings a predictable spike in messages claiming to be from SARS. Most South Africans with a smartphone will receive at least one this year"
