Sydney woman exposes ATO scammer with hilarious response

A woman has filmed herself brilliantly exposing an ATO scammer on the phone. But there’s a powerful reason the woman is waging war on fraudsters.

A young woman has taken to TikTok to expose a dodgy ATO scammer, showing a remarkable sense of humour in the process.

Sydney TikToker Brieahna Chadevski returned a call from a scammer claiming to be a government employee named Charles Adams.

The scammer told her he was calling on behalf of the Australian Taxation Office before accusing her of tax fraud.

He then proceeded to ask her a series of personal questions including her full name, date of birth and address. 

She tells him her name is Penny Sherman and she lives at 42 Wallaby Way in Sydney, an alter ego made famous by Dory the fish in Finding Nemo. 

The TikToker documents run-ins with fraudulent callers on social media. Picture: TikTok

The scammer does not realise the address doesn’t exist. Picture: TikTok

“You want to resolve this issue or do you want to fight this case?,” he at one stage asks authoritatively when she protests that she is innocent.

The man then tells her “cancelling her arrest warrant is not an easy task” before later switching tack and asking her if she is married.

She keeps the scam going by teasing that she is single. 

The call ends when he bizarrely requests she “moan” to get out of the arrest warrant to which she hilariously provides “sexy” turtle sounds. 

The scammer chastises her telling her “not like that” and to “just do it the right way, in a sexy way, I know you can do it better”.

The video has been viewed by over 300,000 people with the TikToker’s followers applauding her quick thinking and sense of humour.

Ms Chadevski oscillates between being serious and playful with the scammer. Picture: TikTok

One of her hilarious responses. Picture: TikTok

“He just abandoned his scam and started shooting his shot,” one person wrote. Another said, “they legit did not see that end coming”. 

“This had suspense, deceit, drama and romance” another wrote. “It’s better than a movie.” 

Others commended her poise. “Well played sister,” one said. “OMG, good work,” wrote another. 

Ms Chadevski told the Sydney Morning Herald last year she started “taking on scammers after a close family friend in her 60s had her entire bank account emptied via a phone scam”.

Her account (@Brieahna) documents conversations with scammers, claiming to be calling from credit card companies, telcos and government departments. 

She plays along keeping her audience entertained.

Her aim of scambaiting, she said, is to waste as much of the scammer’s time as possible until they discover the game, or give up. 

“I feel like if I’m on the phone to them for at least 30 minutes to an hour [then that’s] one or two fewer people getting tricked,” she said.