With tax season in full swing, Nedbank has warned its customers to be on the lookout for scammers.

Tax season started on 7 July 2025, with auto-assessments rolling out to the public. Manual filing opened this week on Monday, 21 July for taxpayers who were not auto-assessed. 

With non-provisional taxpayers having until 20 October 2025 to file, and communication from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) at an all-time high, scammers are on the hunt for unsuspecting victims.

In a new fraud alert, Nedbank warned customers that fraudsters are sending letters, emails and SMSs pretending to be from the SARS.

These letters might ask for payments into fake accounts or simply ask a victim to click on links for refunds or to take action on urgent demand letters. 

The group said that SARS never provides account numbers in letters asking for payment, and urged customers to carefully assess all communication purporting to come from the tax service. 

It also warned customers to avoid clicking on links, as these could take them to risky web pages asking for card details or online banking details. 

Again, SARS will never ask for these details, as all official channels for this information are contained on the SARS eFiling or MobiApp channels.

Nedbank said that customers should never share their personal information and should always verify any requests with SARS first. 

It warned that if customers do not follow the precautions or there is negligence on their part, their money may be lost permanently. 

SARS and the banks are not liable if a taxpayer gets scammed and otherwise willingly gives up their details and makes payments.

Scammers on the rise 

The Nedbank warning follows hot on the heels of weeks of warnings from SARS, highlighting new scams and tactics used by criminals.

The most recent scam flagged by the taxman is one where an SMS indicates that SARS is conducting an audit on a tax refund. 

Taxpayers are prompted to click a link, leading to a phishing site that steals user information. 

Echoing the oft-repeated warning, the revenue service urged users to avoid messages from unknown sources and refrain from clicking on links.

“SARS will never send you hyperlinks to other websites. Beware of emails or SMSs asking for personal, tax, banking or eFiling details,” the revenue service said. 

The scam joins the long list of prototypes taxpayers should look for, especially during tax season.

Standard Bank’s Head of Fraud Risk Management, Athaly Khan, said that fraud tends to pick up significantly during filing season, with criminals looking to exploit diligent taxpayers.

This includes extortion scams, with Khan stating that criminals will claim to be investigating a taxpayer’s return submission, having discovered discrepancies. 

Fraudsters often threaten penalties or criminal prosecution, giving false documentation to substantiate their allegations.

“Intimidation and manipulation tactics may be used to instil fear and panic so that you can follow their instructions,” Khan noted.

Fraudsters will then ask for money when they believe that the customer is convinced, requesting payments to be paid over to them to make the case disappear. 

Once satisfied that the customer is convinced, fraudsters usually ask for money to be paid to make the case disappear.

They may also provide the customer with a fraudulent account number to transfer funds, potentially due to SARS, to secure the money while they “investigate.” 

In most cases, they claim to collaborate with the bank, law enforcement or regulatory bodies.

In a simpler case, fraudsters also send fake communications with banking details, claiming taxpayers owe SARS funds.

Some customers may have funds due to SARS, which makes the communication seem legit.