150 ATO Officials Investigated in TikTok-Promoted GST Fraud Scheme

• At least 150 ATO officials investigated in GST fraud crackdown
• A new report from the auditor-general confirms the investigations and resulting actions
• Operation Protego was launched to address the large-scale GST refund fraud
• The scam involved acquiring an ABN for a sham business and submitting false activity statements
• The scam was promoted on TikTok and other social media platforms
• The ATO’s systems to catch GST fraud were found to be lacking in some areas
• The ATO had effective strategies to detect and deal with GST fraud but lacked a procedure for large-scale fraud events
• Operation Protego targeted individuals suspected of fraudulently obtaining GST refunds
• Many of those involved in the scheme were government welfare recipients
• The ATO established committees to address the issue

Source: abc.net.au

Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.

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