Protect your tax matters: eFiling fraud, a growing concern
Protect your tax matters: eFiling fraud, a growing concern
By: Nicolas Botha
In today’s digital age, cybercrime is advancing at an alarming rate. As technology evolves, so do the tactics of cybercriminals. Unfortunately, your South African Revenue Service (Sars) eFiling account is not immune to these threats.
Warning Signs
Recent reports from Sars highlight a disturbing rise in fraud attempts and breaches of eFiling profiles. These breaches can lead to identity theft, financial loss and a lengthy process to restore your good standing with the authorities. These threats have evolved from simple click-bait scams to sophisticated and planned fraudulent activities, often targeting vulnerable individuals such as the elderly, disabled and expatriates.
These cleverly orchestrated profile hacks can wreak havoc on a taxpayer’s financial affairs. Some involve hacking an individual’s eFiling profile, where fraudsters target taxpayers with disabled children to generate a fraudulent refund. This requires detailed knowledge of the taxpayer and careful planning, including updating banking account details with Sars and fraudulently submitting a tax return.
Extra Vigilance Needed
Sars warnings must be taken seriously. It is crucial to actively protect your registered details and monitor activities on your Sars profile. Regularly reviewing your Sars account activity, updating security measures, and staying informed of potential threats are essential steps to safeguard your personal and financial information.
Solutions for the Concerned Taxpayer and Practitioner
Most South African taxpayers and tax professionals are committed to compliance, aiming to pay the minimum amount of tax required while handling their tax obligations responsibly. Unfortunately, this respect for the law and dedication to compliance is precisely what tax scammers exploit.
At Tax Consulting SA, we recognize manually checking every item as practitioner or taxpayer may be impossible. This is where advancements in “good” technology may be the answer to combat the issue. As a firm we use the TaxCheck system, to automatically obtain crucial information about our clients' registered details and compliance status. This ensures there are no discrepancies and prevents fraudulent activity through advanced monitoring capabilities. These systems come highly recommended to both individuals and practitioners seeking to ensure compliance and active monitoring.
Stay Safe
Protecting your Sars eFiling account requires diligence and the right tools. By staying informed, regularly monitoring your account, and using advanced systems like TaxCheck, you can safeguard your tax affairs from cybercriminals. Don't wait for a breach to take action—stay proactive and secure your tax matters.
* Botha is the tax team compliance & processing manager at Tax Consulting SA.
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