Tax Horror: Over 16,000 Sars Accounts Hacked, Victims Lose Millions

More than 16,000 South African Revenue Service (Sars) e-Filing profiles have been hijacked by cyber criminals, with individual taxpayers reportedly losing up to R100,000 each in fraudulent refunds.

Hackers Target Taxpayers

According to the Office of the Tax Ombudsman (OTO), cybercriminals are stealing taxpayers’ identities, hacking into their e-Filing accounts, and filing fake returns to pocket refunds.

The scheme often involves SIM swaps and stolen login details, which allow criminals to impersonate taxpayers and gain full control of their profiles.

The OTO launched its investigation a year ago following a surge in complaints, particularly from individuals with personal income tax and VAT accounts.

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While the Ombudsman was set to release its findings in July, the report has been delayed twice after the tax authority requested more time to respond.

Many victims say they feel abandoned by the tax authority. Despite the mounting financial losses, they argue that Sars has not done enough to safeguard taxpayer information or to stop repeated breaches.

Sars Responds

Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter requested an extension to respond to the Ombudsman’s draft report.
In a statement, spokesperson Siphithi Sibeko said:

“Sars is committed to enable and empower taxpayers to engage the organisation by providing clarity and certainty and making it easy and simple for them to meet their legal obligation.”

As the number of hacked profiles continues to rise, the scandal has fueled public concern over cybersecurity and accountability within South Africa’s revenue system.

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