Tax office and federal police conduct raids over billion-dollar tax scam spread on TikTok and Facebook

Across Australia, a dozen warrants were executed as the ATO and AFP crack down on a scam where people seek a refund of GST that was never paid. Photograph: Australian Federal Police

Tax officers and federal police have raided a dozen locations across Australia in the past three days as part of an investigation into a billion-dollar tax scam that has gone viral on social media.

The number of people participating in the fraud has grown rapidly. When Operation Protego was launched early last month, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) said it was investigating $850m in payments to 40,000 people.