eFiling hijackings rise

You can be held liable for whatever a hacker manages to siphon from Sars.

- Amanda Visser

PROFILE: SCAMMERS AMEND LOGIN AND BANKING DETAILS OF TAXPAYER

Moneyweb

Various phishing scams involving eFiling taxpayer profiles have been rearing their ugly heads in recent months, resulting in the hacking of taxpayer profiles and the hijacking of companies.

Scamsters amend login details and soon thereafter amend banking details with the main aim of submitting fraudulent value-added tax (VAT) returns to be paid to the fraudster's bank account.

Jean-Louis Nel, tax director at Van Huyssteens Commercial Attorneys, says the South African Revenue Service (Sars) will hold a taxpayer accountable if the fraud emanates from within the company.

He refers to Medtronic International's tax case, in which accountant Hildegard Steenkamp exploited weaknesses in Sars and Medtronic's accounting systems.

She was able to scam the company out of an eye-watering R537 million between June 2004 and May 2017.

Recovery proceedings