Tax season brings a predictable spike in SARS scams. When scrolling through your emails or messages, there’s a good chance a notification 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.
Four types of scams usually make the rounds during the filing window. The revenue service provided clear signs to look out for when you receive notifications so you can stay protected against fraudulent online behaviour from scammers.
1. The Fake Settlement Notification
An email or SMS arrives with an urgent demand to settle an outstanding tax amount by a set date. The language is formal and pressured, and it includes payment instructions such as a bank account and reference number.
SARS has warned taxpayers about this exact scam, and the rules are clear: it will never request banking details by post, email, or SMS, and it will never provide a bank account number for payment. All legitimate tax payments are made using eFiling or the SARS payment portal. Genuine SARS correspondence always includes your taxpayer reference number, your ID number, and your name. A message missing any of those details is not from SARS.
2. The SMS Refund Scam
A refund has been issued to your account specifying a generous amount, ready to be paid to you. The message prompts you to click a link to verify your details or link your credit card to receive the money.
SARS will never ask for your credit card details. Refunds go to the bank account registered on your eFiling profile. Link-tapping and card detail requests are common red flags to watch out for. Legitimate SARS correspondence links only to sars.gov.za. Any other domain is a scam.
3. The Fake Letter of Demand
In a more threatening message, SARS has supposedly issued a letter of demand with an imminent court summons and threats of possible blacklisting. The notification contains a link or attachment that leads to a phishing site designed to harvest your information.
SARS has specifically flagged this type of notification, stating that it will not send you hyperlinks to other websites, including banks or legal notices. Any genuine legal action from SARS is visible on your eFiling profile, not delivered via a link in an unsolicited message.
4. The Fake Auto-Assessment or Compliance Notice
You’re prompted to confirm your compliance status, update your banking details, or complete your auto-assessment via a link. The destination is a proxy website that mimics the eFiling interface. However, SARS does not send links to external websites for compliance purposes.
If you need to complete an auto-assessment or update your banking details, go directly to sars.gov.za and log in to your profile. Do not use a link from a message to get there.
SARS Improves Measures to Avoid Scams
As of May 2025, SARS moved entirely to digital correspondence, discontinuing physical mail for all system-generated letters. That means more legitimate SARS communication landing in inboxes and SMS threads, which also means more plausible cover for scams designed to look like it.
When you’re expecting to hear from SARS, a message that looks like SARS is easier to act on without confirming it. SARS maintains a live scam log at sars.gov.za with nearly 400 documented examples, being continuously updated as new variants are confirmed.
If you receive anything that looks like SARS correspondence, verify it directly through your eFiling profile at sars.gov.za. Report suspicious messages to phishing@sars.gov.za, or call the Fraud and Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 00 2870.
WRITTEN BY Thalia Pillay
Thalia Pillay is a fraud specialist and financial industry expert
While every reasonable effort is taken to ensure the accuracy and soundness of the contents of this publication, neither the writers of articles nor the publisher will bear any responsibility for the consequences of any actions based on information or recommendations contained herein. Our material is for informational purposes.