Warning To Businessmen Starting Up Businesses

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Following from a reader, and something which I would normally distribute only to Business Warriors, but this is too close to home, and way too real - so many of us will fall into this hole. Her email tells the whole story.

BE AWARE PLEASE.

STARTS

I'm very ill!!!! I have just been "taken" by "SARS" for R10 000 (was supposed to be R40 000!)

I received a call from Tim at "SARS" to say that they had processed my VAT refund of R4000, but made a type error and paid in R40 000 by mistake, could I please refund the balance of the money. I said that I would do so, but to fax me the details which he did. I checked my bank account and the R40 000 was there and I then proceeded to make the "refund" to the bank account he stipulated (I could only do R10 000 at a time due to my EFT limit). He called again to ask if I had done so and to fax the proof of payment, which I did to the 086 number provided.

He called again this morning to ask if I'd done the transfer for today. I told him to stop hassling me as I was in a meeting and had two further ones today and would do the transfer in the afternoon. When I went into my bank account - the R40 000 was a RD cheque!!! I rushed to the bank (Absa) and nothing could be done as the transfer to his bank had already gone through.

The bank phoned his bank (Capitec) who told Absa that the account had been frozen, there had been other instances of the same fraud and I had to get a court order for them to investigate refunding me the money.

I've reported the matter to the police, where a detective informed me that the government had closed down all their fraud units and created one consolidated one of whom he was not sure, but would forward my docket for investigation.

Interesting notes:- Tim knew my name, my telephone number, the fact that I was awaiting a VAT refund (which actually is only R450!) I hadn't had a refund in a while!

Even though I set up the beneficiary on my account as South African Revenue Services (not SARS) - the transfer went through even though the name of the account did not match that of the account.

That R10 000 is CRUCIAL on my overdraft! It is the last of the last pennies - as many small business owners, I'm on my overdraft limit all the time!

I would like to know if anyone else has been caught in this manner and if they were expecting a VAT refund. I believe that these fraudsters are working with people in SARS! I'm going to ask SARS to investigate and going to try and find out if the Scorpions can investigate SARS as well.

If there are any responses, I would like to investigate the possibility of a class action against the banks/SARS or anyone else I can think of when I stop panicking!

ENDS

If you've been approached, or had a similar experience, please email me brief details.

Peter Carruthers
August 1st, 2006