“Looks Like a Scam”: Man Allegedly Owed R340K From SARS, Message Leaves SA Curious

• A man on TikTok alleged that he was to receive more than R340 000 from the South African Revenue Service
• Although he was allegedly going to get money from the government, he also had to pay R1 000
• While some social media users raised eyebrows at the message the man supposedly received, others remained hopeful
• Two audit and accounting clerks informed Briefly News whether people's suspicions about the message were true or not

A man appeared to have a stroke of luck after he alleged that he was to receive a few hundreds of thousands of rands in his bank account from the government.

Using the handle @sphesihle_45 on TikTok, the app user took to his account to share the alleged message he received from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) after claiming to have dialled *134*7277#.

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A screenshot of the message read that the taxpayer had to pay R1 000 on his administrative penalty account. It also read the following:

"However, we owe you R341 322.47 on your tax account."

Have a look at the supposed message in the picture below:

Is the 'SARS' message a scam?

Two Cape Town-based audit and accounting clerks who did not wish to be named told Briefly News that the message was indeed a scam. One of the accounting professionals noted that the scammers were messing with innocent people.

"Requesting payment of the supposed admin penalty and then mentioning the refund due is a mind game to trick you into thinking that if you pay R100, you will get R340 000."

The other accounting professional told the publication that they were not familiar with the *134*7277# feature, adding:

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"You can have how big of a credit with SARS, and they will never mention it. They always only mention what you owe them."

Mzansi becomes hopeful and sceptical

@sphesihle_45's video attracted the attention of many local social media users. While some thought it was a case of fraud, others wanted to find out if they could also get a few more rands in their bank accounts.

Eager to get extra money for themselves, @mpho_mash29 humorously wrote in the comment section:

"I want to book a ticket to the Maldives."

@phiwe7951 had their doubts about the message received and shared what they thought it should have said:

"I don't know, it looks like a scam. Usually, SARS says, 'Amount due to you,' not, 'We owe you.'"

@thabi800 also felt that the message was too good to be true and warned the public with their opinion:

"Guys, be careful with scam messages. Many people got them. How can they say 'pay' and then they will pay you afterwards?"

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@nkululekosgananda added humour to the comments. It seemed they wanted a piece of the pie and comically said:

"Ndoda, you might not remember me, but we were best friends in primary school. In fact, I used to take care of you."

Woman stressed after learning she owes SARS

In a related article, Briefly News reported about a South African woman who was left with chest pains after discovering how much she owed SARS for tax.

A TikTok post by @ayokaliyanda showed part of a SARS financial statement, showing an owing balance of R14 734.48. The post included an audio which indicated the woman’s stress and despair.

Source: Briefly News