Thitikorn Thanawong fronts court over rorting taxpayers

A greedy Melbourne massage therapist blew nearly $300k she fraudulently obtained in false GST refunds on high-end luxury purchases from the likes of Louis Vuitton.

Thitikorn Thanawong swindled ATO of nearly $300,000 in false GST returns while working as a massage therapist in Preston.

A crook who rorted Victorian taxpayers out of nearly $300,000 in false GST refunds blew the money on luxury goods, later blaming her boyfriend for coercing her into committing the fraud.

Thitikorn Thanawong, 44, spent the loot on purchases at high-end fashion stores including Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, and Gucci within months of getting the GST refunds.

She also gave $127,330 to her partner and made several transfers to other people, offshore remittance to family members, large cash withdrawals, funded interstate flights and holiday expenses.

Thanawong was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to two years and eight months’ jail, to be released on a recognisance release order after serving 10 months.

Judge Pardeep Tiwana said Thanawong registered for an Australian business and GST numbers for an aromatic massage oil manufacturing business in September 2016.

Thitikorn Thanawong splurged her ill-gotten gains at high-end fashion stores including Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

Between November 2021 and March 2022, nine fraudulent business activity statements were lodged to claim GST credits that resulted in Thanawong receiving $296,212 in GST refunds.

An ATO investigation revealed she did not operate any business but was working as a massage therapist in Preston.

Thanawong told the ATO that she neither registered for GST nor lodged the business activity statements. Instead, she claimed to have provided her partner with her MyGov login details to help lodge her income tax returns and obtain a “loan” from the ATO due to financial hardship as a result of Covid-19.

She further claimed that she entered into an agreement with her partner to give him 50 per cent of the money received “for his help” in helping obtain her purported entitlement from the government.

Thanawong said after lodging GST claims, she told her partner that she didn’t want any more money from the government but the latter assured her it was okay and that she was entitled to claim for taxpayer funds.

“It appears you were taken advantage of and there may have been a degree of coercive control,” Judge Tiwana said.

None of the money has been recovered.