Only people with an unusual desire for pain and discomfort look forward to a trip to the dentist. The same goes for tax.

Criminals know this and prey on our vulnerability. Every year at this time, e-mails like the one below end up in SU staff inboxes. It informs you that the taxman owes you money and all you have to do to receive it, is to click on a link.

This is a scam, and you should never respond or go to the site or open up the attached file, as this could compromise your banking security.

1. SARS has your banking details on record and keeps it in secure and encrypted form. They do not need you to confirm or enter your banking details.
2. SARS will always either SMS or send you a registered letter in the post to inform you of tax returns. They will never contact you by unsecured e-mail.
3. They also have enough data to address the mail to you PERSONALLY and not via some vague “Dear Taxpayer” or “Good Day” salutation.
4. There is no EFiling@sars.gov.za address.
5. The attached file is usually a html (webpage) file and will connect you to a server controlled by the criminals. This server downloads a Trojan virus to your computer that will install software, malware and do all sorts of nasty things to your computer and data. Another tactic is to present you with a “login page” where you enter your banking account details, your PIN code etc.
6. Unless you have added your university e-mail address as the primary contact address on the SARS system, you should never receive mail on your university account.

This phishing scam will allow the criminals to log into and take control of your bank account via the internet.

They can create themselves as beneficiaries, transfer your money to their account, and then delete the evidence pointing to their account.

These scam e-mails will never stop. It is always difficult to block them too because scammers change their addresses, details and methods on a daily basis. So it is always best to dump these mails in the junk mail folder, blacklist the sending domain and delete the mail immediately.

Why do these criminals continue to send their mail? Because they catch people regularly. In 2012 R14+ million was stolen from South Africans alone using phishing tactics such as this one.

Also read more on this on the mybroadband website.

EXAMPLE OF E-MAIL:

From: SARS eFiling [mailto:eFiling@sars.gov.za] Sent: Saturday, 27 June 2015 10:14 Subject: Your account has been credited with R3,167.14

Your account has been credited with R3,167.14 Please click below to accept and verify payment. Accept Payment During this process, there will be verifications. If you don’t receive codes on time, come back to finish verification when received SARS eFiling

[ARTICLE BY DAVID WILES]

Net iemand met `n ongewone voorliefde vir pyn en ongemak sien uit na `n uitstappie na die tandarts. Dieselfde geld vir belasting.

Kuberkriminele buit ons SARS-vrese uit en misbruik belastingseisoen om e-posgebruikers uit te vang.  

Elke jaar rondom Julie maak e-posse (soos die een heel onder) hul opwagting in US-personeel se posbusse. Op die oog af lyk dit soos `n SARS e-pos wat jou in kennis stel dat Jan Taks geld aan jou wil betaal. Om dit te kry, moet jy net op `n skakel te kliek.

Natuurlik is dit `n slenter. Moet nooit hierop reageer, op die skakel kliek, na die webwerf gaan, of die aangehegte dokument oopmaak nie. Jy sal bloot jou bankrekening in gevaar stel. 

1. SARS het reeds jou bankbesonderhede en dit word veilig gestoor in enkripteerde formaat. Hulle het nie nodig om te vra dat jy dit weer bevestig nie. 
2. SARS sal jou SMS of `n geregistreerde brief per pos stuur om jou in kennis te stel van belastinguitbetalings. Hulle sal jou nie met onsekure e-pos kontak nie.
3. SARS het jou inligting en sal jou persoonlik aanspreek –  nie as “Dear Taxpayer” of met `n vae “Good Day” nie.
4. Daar bestaan nie `n EFiling@sars.gov.za adres nie.
5. Die aangehegte leêr is gewoonlik `n html (webblad) leêr en sal jou verbind aan `n bediener wat deur kriminele beheer word.  Hierdie bediener laai `n Trojan-virus wat sagteware en malware installeer op jou rekenaar en verskeie onreëlmatighede met jou data wil uitvoer. `n Alternatiewe metode herlei jou na `n aantekenblad waar jy jou bankrekeningdetails, PIN-kode, ens. invul.
6. Behalwe as jy jou universiteit e-posadres as die hoofkontakadres op die SARS-stelsel ingevul het, sal jy nooit kommunikasie van SARS op jou sun e-pos kry nie.

Bogenoemde phishing-poging sal kuberkrakers toelaat om aan te teken en beheer te kry  oor jou bankrekening via die internet. Hulle kan hulself as begunstigdes byvoeg, geld oorplaas na hul rekeninge en daarna bewyse van die transaksies verwyder.

Dit bly moeilik om hierdie e-posse te blok aangesien adresse, details en metodes op `n daaglikse basis verander word. Die enigste oplossing is om dit dadelik in die gemorspos (junk mail) vouer te gooi, die domein waarvandaan dit gestuur word te swartlys, en die e-pos onmiddellik uit te vee.

Hoekom word hierdie e-posse steeds gestuur? Omdat dit suksesvol is. In 2012 is meer as R14 miljoen rand van Suid-Afrikaners gesteel alleenlik met phishing pogings.

Lees ook meer hieroor op mybroadband se webwerf. 

VOORBEELD VAN E-POS: 

From: SARS eFiling [mailto:eFiling@sars.gov.za] Sent: Saturday, 27 June 2015 10:14 Subject: Your account has been credited with R3,167.14

Your account has been credited with R3,167.14 Please click below to accept and verify payment. Accept Payment During this process, there will be verifications. If you don’t receive codes on time, come back to finish verification when received SARS eFiling

[ARTIKEL DEUR DAVID WILES]

Tags: malware, phishing, sars, SARS e-mail

This entry was posted on Friday, July 24th, 2015 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Security. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.