The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has refuted recent social media posts claiming its systems were breached.
The tax collector said the claims were false and unsubstantiated.
“SARS continuously monitors its systems for any suspicious activity and has conducted a thorough investigation in response to these reports,” it said.
“At this stage, there is no evidence that SARS’s systems have been compromised. SARS wishes to reassure the public regarding the integrity of its systems.”
The claims emerged over the weekend, when a group calling itself Nullsec Nigeria said it breached SARS and the South African Information Technology Agency (SITA).
Nullsec Nigeria, which previously operated under the name Anonymous Nigeria, posted links on a hacker forum to allegedly compromised data from two South African organisations.
It claimed the SARS data included names, email addresses and passwords used on official websites. The SITA link allegedly contained names, passwords, and the platforms used to access SITA services.
SITA also denied experiencing any breach.
SARS said it treats the protection of taxpayer information and the security of its digital platforms as sacrosanct and as its core responsibility.
“This dovetails with SARS’s broader commitment to build a smart, modern institution with unquestionable integrity, and to strengthen public trust and confidence in the tax administration system,” it said.
SARS said it would continue to monitor its digital environment and, where necessary, would communicate through its official platforms.
The tax service gave an additional warning, urging the public to remain vigilant against scams and phishing attempts, particularly where messages claim to be from SARS.
