Fake tender invitations are a recurring fraud risk for South African businesses, particularly SMMEs. They arrive by email looking like genuine procurement correspondence: a department-style reference number, a procurement clerk’s signature, and instructions to copy officials at a real government domain.
The goal is rarely the tender itself. Fraudsters want your company documents, an upfront “fee”, or both. A few minutes of verification before you respond can prevent a much more serious problem later.
Warning signs
No single sign proves fraud, but two or more together should stop you before you reply.
- It arrived unsolicited, with tender documents attached. Open tenders are advertised publicly on the National Treasury eTender Portal. Being “invited” out of the blue is unusual, especially for work you have never done for that department.
- A generic greeting. “Good day Service Providers” means the email went to a mailing list, not to your company specifically.
- A request for “all your company’s supporting documents”. Genuine bids ask for specific, listed returnables. A blanket request for everything is a harvesting exercise.
- Instructions to CC named officials. Real names and real domains are easy to copy. They are there to borrow credibility, and the reply-to address is often different from the one displayed.
- Sender details that don’t add up. Check the full email address, not just the display name. Look for free email services, misspelled domains, or a reply-to address that differs from the sender.
- Unusual urgency or a short closing date. Pressure is designed to stop you from verifying.
- Any request for payment. A “registration fee”, “tender document fee” or instruction to buy goods from a nominated supplier before award is the classic advance-fee pattern.
What fraudsters do with your documents
Your company’s documents can provide criminals with enough information to impersonate your business. CIPC registration documents, tax compliance PIN, CSD number, B-BBEE certificate, bank confirmation letter and directors’ IDs together let a criminal become your business on paper.
- Impersonate your company to other buyers, suppliers or funders, using your track record and compliance status.
- Attempt to change your banking details on supplier databases, so that payments due to you are diverted.
- Open credit accounts or apply for finance in your company’s or directors’ names.
- Place fraudulent orders with suppliers on your company’s letterhead, leaving you to deal with the debt.
The damage often surfaces weeks or months later, when a payment goes missing or a supplier demands settlement for goods you never ordered.
How to verify a tender before you respond
- Search the reference number on the eTender Portal (etenders.gov.za). If a national or provincial tender isn’t listed there, treat it as suspect.
- Check the department’s own website for its procurement or tenders page and compare the reference format, closing date and contact names.
- Call the department on its official switchboard number, taken from its website or a government directory. Never use the phone number or contact details in the email itself.
- Inspect the full sender and reply-to addresses. Expand the header in your email app. A genuine government email comes from the official domain, and replies should go back to that domain.
- Don’t open attachments or links until you have verified the source. Fake tender documents can carry malware.
- Never send company documents or pay any fee on the strength of an email alone. If a genuine tender requires documents, they go through the bid submission process specified in the official tender documents.
Suspect you’ve been targeted?
If you received a suspicious invitation but didn’t respond: don’t reply, open attachments or click links. Report it to the department being impersonated through its official contact channels, then delete it.
If you have already sent documents or paid a fee:
- Contact your bank immediately and ask it to flag your account for any change of banking details.
- Open a case at your nearest SAPS station and keep the case number.
- Report the incident to SABRIC if banking details or payments are involved.
- Alert your key customers and suppliers that anyone asking them to change your banking details is not you.
- Consider a protective listing with the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) for your directors.
How GI Advisory can help. We verify tender invitations and counterparties before you commit, and investigate where documents or funds have already been compromised. If something doesn’t look right, contact us before you respond.
This article is general guidance for fraud awareness and does not constitute legal advice. Procurement procedures and reporting channels change; verify current requirements with the relevant institution. Last reviewed: September 2026.
