Tax Office officials demanded that the victim of a scam repay a $46,000 tax refund that it sent to a fraudster who stole his identity, insisting the taxpayer was responsible for the dodgy refund.

The man – identified only as “Mr B” in a new independent report – went to an accountant to lodge tax returns for financial years 2019, 2020 and 2021, only to find fake data had already been submitted in his name, including $80,000 in fake income and $37,000 in withholding credits.