The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has warned taxpayers about fraudulent activities targeted at their eFiling profiles.
This, after the revenue service became aware of a number of incidents where fraudulent or unauthorised changes to tax practitioners’ and/or taxpayers’ eFiling profiles were made.
SARS notes the sole intention of these changes is to defraud the taxman and the affected taxpayers.
It explains: “These fraudulent activities are carried out by individuals who gain access to eFiling profiles through phishing or other nefarious scams to change a legitimate taxpayer’s bank details to divert refunds. These individuals also submit fraudulent tax returns to generate refunds.
“SARS takes all necessary steps to mitigate security breaches of our information systems and there is no evidence of the SARS systems being hacked, instead they remain secure.”
Since the onset of the pandemic, SARS has encouraged taxpayers to perform their tax obligations using digital channels like eFiling, to minimise the risks of exposure to COVID-19.
According to SARS, in the past week, several changes were implemented to augment the integrity of its systems.
“These changes include a process to advise tax practitioners when their access to taxpayer/client profiles is removed, as well as an enhanced personal income tax and eFiling registration process, among others. They were done to make it difficult for criminal elements to obtain sensitive information and then perpetrate fraud.
“To safeguard eFiling profiles, tax practitioners are urged to ensure that profile credentials are not shared within their practices or companies. All eFiling user access within practices or companies must be routinely reviewed and where required, employee access should be revoked, particularly when an employee leaves the practice or company.
“The public is urged to always be alert for phishing scams that call for the sharing of sensitive identity and banking details.”
SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter says: “Let me leave no one in doubt about SARS’s capacity and capability to deal a massive blow to those hell-bent on these criminal activities. Working with other law enforcement agencies, SARS will leave no stone unturned to hunt and find these criminals. This is no idle threat; be warned.”
SARS urges taxpayers and tax practitioners not to use social media platforms, such as Facebook, to report such incidents or disclose sensitive information. Instead, incidents of fraudulent or unauthorised changes of eFiling profiles can be reported to the SARS anti-corruption and Fraud Hotline on 0800 00 2870, it states.
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