“There are so many e-mail and internet scams out there now. Send me R500 and I’ll tell you all about them.” – so the joke goes. Scammers and fraudsters seem to have a way of exploiting almost every aspect of our lives and business dealings to extract their ill-gotten gains.
Fraud has existed for thousands of years. The first recorded scam, around 300BC, was committed by a Greek seafaring merchant called Hegestratos. His plan was to defraud the insurer by sinking his ship, empty of cargo, then sell the corn that was supposed to be on board. Unfortunately for Hegestratos, his scheme was discovered, and he drowned after escaping his passengers, no doubt angry at his plan to kill them.
Fast forward to the 21st century and the capabilities of fraudsters have reached new heights, to the point where they now pose the risk of destabilizing global economies and governments. For small business owners and entrepreneurs, the effects of scams and fraud can be fatal, and the problem is that the tricks that scammers and thieves use today are far subtler and more ingenious.
Case in Point: The tax team at PLUS Executive recently received an e-mail purporting to be from the South Africa Revenue Service (SARS) but we quickly recognised it as a phishing attempt. Alarmingly, the e-mail looked authentic at first glance, and because it ‘spoofs’ a legitimate looking SARS e-mail address, it is understandable that a number of individuals and businesses may be tricked into sharing their personal information, and worse still, paying funds over to the unscrupulous sender.
SARS released a media release last week confirming that scams and phishing attempts have increased this month, coinciding with the Provisional Tax Returns deadline. The e-mails either state an amount that is owed to SARS by the taxpayer – requiring an urgent payment – or they advise that a refund is due, and that certain bank and personal details are required. The e-mails that appear to be from addresses such as returns@sars.co.za or refunds@sars.co.za.
Please be very cautious if you receive any e-mails from SARS. Instead, forward the e-mail to our office and we will confirm your tax and returns status through the correct channels.
The revenue service also offered the following advice:
- Beware of emails that ask for personal, tax, banking and e-Filing details (login credentials, passwords, pins, credit / debit card information, etc.).
- SARS will never request your banking details in any communication that you receive via post, email, or SMS. However, for the purpose of telephonic engagement and authentication purposes, SARS will verify your personal details. Importantly, SARS will not send you any hyperlinks to other websites – even those of banks.
- Beware of false text messages.
- SARS does not send *.htm or *.html attachments.
- SARS will never ask for your credit card details.
- The SARS e-mail domain is .org.za
With the deadline for provisional tax returns fast approaching, we always urge our customers to be extra vigilant and to let us handle all of their tax queries, to avoid confusion and heartache.
For further information, e-mail info@plusexecutive.co.za
About The Author
Nashreen Moosa