| Name | Amount (\$) | Sentence | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristopher Andree-Jansz | 2,402,258 | 4 y 7 m | Dutch-Sri Lankan |
| Daniel Copeland | 1,134,163 | 3 y | Anglo-Australian |
| Tahra Wyntjes | 599,349 | 4 y | Anglo-Australian |
| Joshua Merrett | 394,801 | 2 y 11 m | Anglo-Australian |
| Lee Sheridan | 377,820 | 2 y (served 6 m) | Anglo-Australian |
| Thitikorn Thanawong | 296,212 | 2 y 8 m | Thai-Australian |
| Darnelle Te Kiri | 202,936 | 17 m | Māori-Australian |
| Kim Orense | 214,011 | 18 m | Filipino-Australian |
| Tewhanaupani Nukunuku | 168,000 | 2 y 3 m | Māori |
| Gregory Pimm | 167,690 | 2 y 6 m (served 6 m) | Anglo-Australian |
| Adam Hohenberger | 108,451 | 2 y 3 m (served 8 m) | German-Australian |
| Aman Akol | 85,759 | 6 m | Sudanese-Australian |
| Craig Hamilton | 80,000 | 2.5 m | Anglo-Australian |
| Arec Akol | 69,461 | 3 m | Sudanese-Australian |
| Tiarn Nutley | 49,700 | 9 m | Anglo-Australian |
| Jessica Pakatyilla | 49,700 | 2 y | Indigenous-Australian |
| Benjamin West | 49,226 | 2 y (served 6 m) | Anglo-Australian |
| Lisa McCormick | 39,600 | 2 y 6 m | Anglo-Australian |
| Abigail Ussher | — | 12 m | Anglo-Australian |
| Skye Hoek | 25,147 | 3 m | Anglo-Australian |
| Joshua Mitchell | 24,200 | 18 m | Anglo-Australian |
| Adam Mitchell | 18,000 | 15 m CCO | Anglo-Australian |
When you examine the names and backgrounds of those prosecuted under operations like Australia’s Operation Protego, a deeper irony emerges: white collar crime is overwhelmingly committed by people with European or Anglo-sounding surnames.
What the scam was
– A $2 billion “TikTok GST fraud” in which tens of thousands of people (56,000+) lodged fake Business Activity Statements through the ATO’s low-touch mobile app.
– No receipts, no verification: the system was built for speed, not fraud detection.
How “Sarah” did it
– She invented a hairdressing business, entered fictitious sales figures on the app and received roughly $30,000 in GST refunds in a matter of weeks.
Why it was possible
– ATO fraud-detection systems were “no better than random,” according to the Auditor-General.
– 2014 public-service cuts had removed most of the human reviewers who used to check GST claims manually.
– The promised automated fraud-detection upgrade was delivered 12 months late.
How it finally stopped
– ATO eventually switched on better analytics and began retro-auditing claims.
– Only 122 people have been convicted so far; about $160 million of the $2 billion stolen has been recovered.
– Many perpetrators are on welfare or in low-income brackets, so recovery prospects are slim.
Current knock-on problem
– Identity takeover fraud: criminals now lodge fake GST refunds using stolen TFNs and business details, leaving the real taxpayer to prove it wasn’t them.
https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/tax-avoidance/the-fight-against-tax-crime/our-focus/refund-fraud/gst-refund-fraud-attempts/operation-protego
