THE South African Revenue Service (SARS) is warning job seekers to be vigilant of exploitation through fraudulent employment offers.

SARS has noted a SARS-branded e-mail is being circulated which confirms acceptance of the recipient into a bogus “SARS Learnership Programme”. The prospective applicant is then instructed to make a deposit of an ‘administrative fee’ into a Shoprite Money Market Service account for the application to be processed.

The e-mail scam is an adaptation of another scam where individuals posing as SARS staff notify people that they have been successfully employed by SARS and are required to buy uniforms and identity cards which are SARS-branded and appear authentic.

SARS reiterated that they would never ask that a payment be made into any other account.  SARS does not endorse commercial venues.

The service urged people not respond to e-mails from unknown sources. Any correspondence can be verified by contacting the SARS contact centre or the nearest SARS branch.

Members of the public are urged to report these illegal scams to the police to avoid further exploitation of the vulnerable.

What to do if you receive a hoax email or message:

• Visit the SARS Scams and Phishing webpage

• Email phishing@sars.gov.za

• Contact the SARS Fraud and Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 00 2870.