SARS Warns of Fraudulent Tax Settlement Notification Scam

Posted 27 May 2026 Written by Acts Online
Category Tax

Brought to you by SA Accounting Academy: The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has issued an urgent security warning regarding a new phishing scam designed to trick taxpayers into making immediate payments under the guise of outstanding income tax settlements.

In terms of the Tax Administration Act, No. 28 of 2011, SARS communicates official tax liabilities, assessments, and penalties through secured channels, primarily the eFiling platform. The fraudulent communication, styled as a “Tax Settlement Notification,” bypasses these official channels by sending direct emails with attachments demanding same-day payment.

The scam emails are “spoofed” to appear as though they originate from official SARS domains. These communications threaten taxpayers with immediate legal action, including the initiation of civil recovery proceedings and the imposition of additional administrative penalties, if the demanded payment is not made to a specified (non-SARS) bank account.

SARS has advised taxpayers to look out for the following indicators of fraudulent correspondence:

  • Urgent Payment Demands: Demands for same-day payments or settlements to avoid immediate legal action.
  • Non-SARS Bank Accounts: Payment instructions directing funds to commercial bank accounts that do not belong to SARS.
  • Unverified Links and Attachments: Emails containing suspicious attachments or links requesting personal authentication or banking details.

Taxpayers are cautioned not to click on any links, open attachments, or make payments based on these unsolicited communications. Genuine tax liabilities should always be verified directly via the secure SARS eFiling portal or the SARS MobiApp. Suspicious communications can be cross-referenced against the official list of active scams on the SARS Scams and Phishing webpage. Fraudulent emails should be forwarded directly to the SARS IT security team at [email protected].

Click here to download an example of the SARS Tax Settlement Notification Scam Document.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: Ensure you do not click on any links or download attachments from unsolicited emails claiming to be from SARS, and verify any outstanding tax claims directly on your personal eFiling profile.
  • For your business: Update internal financial control protocols to ensure that any urgent payment demands or changes to beneficiary bank details allegedly from SARS are verified through official channels before any funds are disbursed.
  • For your clients: Advise clients to ignore direct email demands for tax settlements and establish a protocol where all SARS correspondence is routed through your practice for verification against their eFiling profile.

Originally published at https://accountingacademy.co.za/news/read/sars-latest-scam

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