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How the TikTok tax fraud overran a country town

How the TikTok tax fraud overran a country town

The stories of the first four people convicted for tax fraud form a snapshot of how a scheme so simple it could be carried out online spread throughout a small community. But it spread much further, to at least 56,000 people nationally.

Neil Chenoweth and Max Mason
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Catherine wanted her teeth done and new tyres for her car. Brylie said she “thought it was legit”. Walton blamed it on his brother-in-law, and Jennifer spent the money on “some stupid shit”.

The first four people to be convicted this year from the Tax Office’s Operation Protego separately obtained a total of $153,000 from fraudulent GST claims, in a scam which began spreading via social media influencers on TikTok in late 2020.

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Neil Chenoweth
Neil ChenowethSenior writerNeil Chenoweth is an investigative reporter for The Australian Financial Review. He is based in Sydney and has won multiple Walkley Awards. Connect with Neil on Twitter. Email Neil at nchenoweth@afr.com.au
Max Mason
Max MasonSenior courts and crime reporterMax Mason covers insolvency, courts, financial crime, cybercrime and corporate wrongdoing. A Walkley Award winner, Max’s journalism has also received awards from the National Press Club of Australia, the Kennedy Awards and Citibank. Message Max on Signal https://tinyurl.com/MaxMason Connect with Max on Twitter. Email Max at max.mason@afr.com

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