Melbourne woman Jo O’Brien takes on scammer after losing $500,000

A woman who lost $500,000 to scammers has taken matters into her own hands and threatened to ruin the life of an alleged con artist behind the scheme.

Jo O’Brien settled her divorce in June 2022, investing half a million dollars in what she thought was a safe long-term deposit account managed by AMP.

But she was in fact talking to scammers who tricked her into transferring the money to an Australian bank account before the money was moved overseas and then disappeared completely.

A Commonwealth Bank of Australia employee broke the news to Ms O’Brien, saying he had “suspicions this could be a scam”, leaving her inconsolable and in tears.

The scammers had been running a small business in Melbourne and had managed to defraud nine people of $1.7 million.

Ms O’Brien managed to get the phone number of the company’s 29-year-old director, desperate to get her money back.

‘This is Jo O’Brien. The person you stole $500,000 from,” she texted ABC’s 7:30 reported.

“I won’t give up until I get my money back and/or ruin your lives…

“You messed with the wrong person.”

Ms O’Brien lied to the scammer, telling him she had had a private investigator track down his family and had connections to high-ranking people in Pakistan’s intelligence service, where the scammer came from.

The scammer replied saying, “If you try to reach my family in Dubai or Pakistan, I guarantee you will not get a cent back.

‘Moreover, I also have many connections in Melbourne and Brisbane where you can go very well.’

Ms O’Brien told the ABC she then started playing nice, which led to the scammer sympathizing with her.

The scammer then told her he could put her in touch with the man behind the scheme, who could give her her money back.

The details of this man were vague and there was no evidence that he even existed or was involved in the elaborate scam.

“If you have powerful connections like the ISI (Pakistani Intelligence) or any other agency that could raid his house, let this bastard torture him and get your money back,” the scammer told Ms O’Brien.

Ms O’Brien tracked down her scammer’s phone number and threatened him in a bid to get her money back

The scammer agreed to be interviewed by the ABC in March but covered his face so he could not be identified.

He said he knew he had broken the law by allowing the money to be laundered through his company, but denied it was a scam and simply said he had “made a mistake.”

He claimed he would give Ms. O’Brien’s $500,000 back, but neither of them have received a cent yet.

‘If I ever had a little hint [that this was a] scam. I would never do it,” he said at the time.

The scammer claimed he was paid $13,000 to hand over his company’s bank account details.

Criminal charges were filed against one of the scammers involved, but were later dropped. No one has been prosecuted in connection with the scam.

It is understood the scammer Ms O’Brien spoke to is now abroad.

She said she contacted police several times about the scam and the victims have since filed a lawsuit against the company.

Victoria Police said it “has passed on available information about alleged offenses abroad with foreign partners through the Australian Federal Police-Interpol Bureau.

“Should further information come to light about crimes committed in Victoria, the investigation may be reopened.

“Due to the current ongoing civil proceedings in New South Wales, we are unable to comment further at this time.”