Understanding the impact of eFiling fraud on taxpayers

THE latest findings from the Tax Ombud’s eFiling Profile Hijacking survey paint a stark picture of the vulnerabilities within South Africa’s tax system.

- DIEKETSENG MALEKE

The Tax Ombud, Yanga Mputa, presented these findings this week.

The numbers alone tell a worrying story: nearly half of the respondents were registered tax practitioners, while 32.7%, were individual taxpayers.

The hijacking of tax profiles is not a minor inconvenience; it is a direct assault on the integrity of Sars, the security of taxpayers, and the trust that businesses and individuals place in the tax system.

Alarmingly, a significant portion of those surveyed had firsthand experience with eFiling hijacking, with 41% reporting that they encountered this form of fraud.

Meanwhile, 38% of tax practitioners had clients who fell victim to it, and 21% had witnessed it happening to someone else.

These figures highlight that this is not a niche issue affecting a handful of unlucky taxpayers - it is widespread and systemic.