It’s almost that time of year again. Tax season opens, refunds start flowing… and SARS scams come out of hibernation like it’s Black Friday for criminals 😬

If your phone has recently pinged with a message saying “SARS owes you a refund, click here to claim,” we’ve got some uncomfortable news.

That’s not SARS.

That’s someone hoping you’ll hand over your banking details faster than you can say “eFiling password.”

The truth is simple: SARS scams explode every filing season, and 2026 is shaping up to be the busiest one yet.

🚨 Why scammers love tax season

Filing Season 2026 kicks off with auto-assessments from 1 to 12 July, with manual filing opening on 13 July.

Millions of South Africans will be expecting an SMS or email from SARS during this exact window.

Translation?

It’s the perfect hunting season for fraudsters. They know you’re waiting to hear from SARS, so a fake message doesn’t feel suspicious — it feels expected 📱

And these scams aren’t the badly spelled emails of ten years ago. Today’s fakes use SARS logos, official-sounding reference numbers, and links that look almost identical to the real thing.

🎭 The most common SARS scams doing the rounds

Keep your eyes open for these classics:

💰 The “refund” SMS — “You are due a refund of R3,847.00. Click here to verify your banking details.” ⚠️ The fake final demand — “Pay your outstanding tax debt within 24 hours or face legal action.” (Real final demands appear on your eFiling profile.) 📎 The dodgy attachment — an email with a “Letter of Demand” PDF that installs malware instead. 🏦 The banking detail update — “Your refund failed. Update your account details here.” 📞 The phone call — someone claiming to be a “SARS debt collector” demanding immediate payment into a private account.

If it creates panic and demands urgency, be suspicious. Fear is a scammer’s favourite currency 💸

❓ How do I know if an SMS or email is really from SARS?

Here’s the golden rule:

SARS will never ask for your banking details, login credentials or OTP via email, SMS or WhatsApp link.

A few more tells:

✅ Real SARS links only go to www.sars.gov.za — check the address carefully ✅ SARS communicates through eFiling, the SARS MobiApp and its official channels ✅ Refunds are paid into the bank account already registered on your profile — no “verification link” needed ✅ Real letters of demand appear on your eFiling profile, not just in a random SMS ✅ When in doubt, log in to eFiling directly (type the address yourself) and check

If the message exists in your inbox but not on your eFiling profile… it’s a fake 🚩

❓ How do I report a SARS scam?

1️⃣ Don’t click any links or open attachments

2️⃣ Don’t reply or phone the number in the message

3️⃣ Report it to SARS by forwarding it to phishing@sars.gov.za

4️⃣ Delete it

5️⃣ If you’re unsure whether you actually owe SARS money — for example, after receiving a SARS estimated assessment — log in to eFiling or ask your accountant to check

Thirty seconds of checking can save you thousands of rand 💡

❓ What happens if I clicked on a SARS phishing link?

Don’t panic — but do act fast:

🏦 Contact your bank immediately and ask them to flag your account 🔑 Change your eFiling password and any passwords that match it 📱 Run a security scan on your device 🚨 Report the incident to SARS and SAPS

The quicker you move, the less damage a scammer can do.

🎯 Stay sharp this filing season

Scammers only need you to be distracted for one moment. SARS season, school holidays, load shedding stress — they’re counting on it 😅

The good news? Every one of these scams falls apart the moment you slow down and verify.

And if you’d rather not deal with SARS messages, deadlines and refund queries on your own, the team at Go2 Accounting is ready to help — we’ll tell you exactly which messages are real, and which belong in the bin.

Because the only thing SARS should take from you this season is your tax return. Not your bank balance 😉