150 ATO Staff Caught in $2 Billion Social Media Fraud

As many as 150 staff at the Australian Tax Office (ATO) have been investigated after it was discovered some were involved in a social media scam that netted $2 billion ($US1.3 billion). The multi-agency investigation, dubbed Operation Protego, was initiated in December 2021 by the ATO in response to a surge in tip-offs about GST refund fraud, and an unusual rise in Australian Business Number (ABN) and GST registrations. It involved people acquiring an ABN for a fake business and using the MyGov site to submit false business activity statements to receive GST refunds to which they were not entitled. It was widely promoted on social media such as Facebook and TikTok, leading to a high volume of fraudulent claims....