Sars warns of scammers offering ‘to wipe off debts’

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) on Monday warned of scam artists posing as its “representatives” and demanding “outstanding payments on undeclared taxes”.

The tax collector said that “over the last few months‚ there have been a few incidents that have been reported to Sars of scam artists that have demanded money to wipe off debts”.

At particular risk‚ a Sars statement noted‚ were “unsuspecting small businesses enterprises”.

“Taxpayers and traders with outstanding accounts must directly resolve the matter with Sars‚” it said.

“All outstanding tax‚ VAT or duties must only be deposited directly into Sars bank accounts.

“No money should be paid over to debt collectors or self-proclaimed Sars officials.

“In fact‚ collectors who want money to be handed over to them must be immediately reported.”

The bona fides of Sars representatives can be checked via the Contact Centre at 0800 00 7277 (0800 00 SARS)‚ and suspicious activity can be reported to the Anti-Corruption and Fraud Hotline at 0800 00 2870‚ toll-free.