Dear Ms/Mr Taxman,
Apparently, you sent me an “important notification” as an attachment via email.
Please note, I have no idea what it says.
I can’t think of anything you may have to tell me that’s important other than you have forgiven my IOU, which I still can’t think about without a sting of outrage. When you start hauling in the billions evaded/avoided/stolen by the rich guys, come talk to me.
From what is visible without actually opening the attachment, it appears to have a Sars letterhead, but I am extremely cautious of all the thousands of other thieves out there posing as legit organisations. Cybercrime levels have become so bad, attachments are frequently just binned. That goes for promising SMSes too.
My inbox is full of cybersecurity and banking experts warning of the ever-increasing skill of scammers wanting to get their grubby paws on our hard-earned cash or identities (also hard-earned ‒ the thought of needing anything from Home Affairs has my toes curling).
Some lures are easier to spot than others. Just this week, I had a “Dear beloved” inviting me to do something (I trashed it after the “dear beloved” bit) that would rake in cash. It didn’t even have the decency to hide behind an attachment.
Recently, there was one I nearly fell for: it was a mail telling me I had a certain number of reward points I could convert into cash. Thankfully, it was quite a large amount, and I checked the relevant app first to see what it said. Nowhere near. But it had a terrific “letterhead” and a simple “click here” to get my hands on the dosh. Close. Too good to be true is a fine expression to keep in mind.
My worst fear is I have an unknown billionaire relative who has left me a small fortune, and the executor sends me notification of a huge windfall via attachment. Imagine binning a billion.
With all the warning emails and the numerous stories we have published telling consumers to be cybersecurity-savvy, I consider myself to be what the banks, in particular, have asked of its customers: get educated about the risks. If your loot is stolen, it’s your loss, not the financial institution’s.
The South African Banking Risk Information Centre website (sabric.co.za) is terrifying. I paid it a visit to see their latest reports on cybercrime and was astonished. They have nearly 30 categories covering different types of villainous activities.
Paranoia can be a Good Thing. Don’t click anywhere on anything you’re not expecting.
To the rich relative’s executor: don’t attach news of my fortune ‒ a cut'n'paste will do. And you can CC The Taxman.
- Lindsay Slogrove is the news editor.
The Independent on Saturday