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How do I identify a fake SARS email, SMS, or refund message?
How do I identify a fake SARS email, SMS, or refund message?
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Direct answer
Treat a SARS-branded message as suspicious if it asks for your password, one-time pin, banking PIN or eFiling login details, or tries to send you to another website to claim a refund. SARS says it will not ask for those credentials by email, SMS, social media or telephone, and it says it will never send hyperlinks to other websites.
Do not click the link or reply. Check your SARS position only through an official channel you open independently.
What this means in practice
Scammers often use a refund as urgency. SARS issued a July 2026 alert about SMS and email messages that claimed a refund was due and directed taxpayers to a fraudulent website. SARS advised recipients of that scam to delete and block the message.
An unexpected message is not automatically fake, but an official-looking logo, wording or amount is not enough to prove it is genuine. SARS has also warned that criminals use AI to make messages look more professional. The safer question is whether the message asks for a secret, pushes you to an unrelated website or asks you to act through the message itself.
If you want to check a refund, assessment or account, type the official SARS address yourself, use the SARS MobiApp, or use another official SARS service. Do not use the link in the message to reach your account.
Step-by-step
- Pause before responding.
Do not click a link, open an unexpected attachment, reply with information or call a number supplied in a suspicious message. Never disclose eFiling credentials, a password, OTP or banking PIN.
- Look for the practical warning signs.
Be especially careful with a message that claims an immediate refund, asks you to confirm bank information, demands a secret or directs you to a website other than the official SARS site.
- Preserve only the information needed to identify it.
Take a screenshot, record the sender and date, and keep the wording if you may need to report the attempt. Do not forward the message in a way that spreads its link.
- Check independently through an official channel.
Open the SARS website yourself or use the official app. Review the assessment, correspondence or account there. A genuine account record is more reliable than a message that claims a refund.
- Compare with SARS scam guidance.
SARS publishes alerts and scam examples. Its July 2026 alert says that a named Tax Return Notification scam should be deleted and blocked. Current examples can help you compare the tactic without using the scam link.
- Delete and block the suspicious message.
If it matches a scam warning or asks for prohibited information, remove it and block the sender where your device permits. If you think profile access was compromised, use the official SARS digital-fraud route.
Documents and records to keep
- Screenshot of the message and sender details.
- Date and time received.
- The official account record you checked independently.
- Any SARS digital-fraud case confirmation, if one is opened.
Important limits and exceptions
Do not call every unexpected SARS communication a scam. SARS can send genuine notices. The safe approach is to verify the substance through a channel you opened independently, without using contact details or links in the message.
This article does not tell you whether you are due a refund. A refund depends on your assessment, account status, verification and other SARS processes. A message saying that a payment is available is not proof that it is.
Never share credentials to prove your identity to a person who contacted you. SARS says it will not ask for eFiling login credentials, passwords, OTPs or banking PINs through the channels listed above.
When to get tailored advice
Get help if you clicked a suspicious link, shared information, see unexplained profile changes or cannot reconcile a genuine SARS account message. Act through official SARS channels and preserve evidence.
TaxProof can help organise a timeline and account records for a genuine tax query. It cannot verify a refund by replying to a message or receive your eFiling credentials.
Related TaxProof guides
- How do I report a compromised SARS eFiling profile? (B03-ADM-004)