Australian accountant catches $18,000 tax return fraud targeting client

Relevant impacts: Human Impact, Financial Impact

An Australian accountant interviewed by Yahoo Finance has shone a spotlight on how everyone can take part in the team effort of fraud prevention. Hripsime Demirdjian has spoken out about how she realised a client had fallen victim to tax fraud, and how she was able to protect her client and the ATO by quick action.

Her client allegedly had her MyGov account compromised, with an unknown party lodging a fraudulent tax return that would have directed $18,000 into a bank account that had been surreptitiously added to her client's ATO profile. This came to Demirdjian's attention when she noticed first that her client's 2025 return had been filed without her or her client's knowledge, and then upon receipt of the Notice of Assessment, when she saw the abnormally large refund.

Demirdjian was able to recognise the activity as suspicious, check her own records of her client's finances, and contact the ATO before the refund was processed, thus protecting her client, the ATO, and the Australian taxpayer from the compromise of the tax system. This highlights how awareness and activity from across the community can help safeguard individuals, and the Commonwealth, from fraud.