Career conman caught out in new scam taking advantage of homeowners

A notorious career conman has been caught out attempting to purchase Melbourne properties with cheques that bounce.

Rocco Dibellee approached Kelly and Thomas McCloskey last year with an offer to purchase their home in the Melbourne suburb of Middle Park, which wasn't even on the market.

The offer of $2.75 million appeared too good to be true – and just months later, it was.

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"There was story after story as to why the deposit wasn't paid," Mrs McCloskey told A Current Affair.

Every cheque Dibellee sent bounced, the couple said.

"We started to have doubts, but then he would pop back with another story which sounded believable, but it just didn't happen," Mrs McCloskey said.

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"This went on over a number of months."

It's not the first time Dibellee has come under scrutiny for his questionable behaviour.

Further investigation into the dodgy depositor uncovered several aliases, including Rocco Calabrese and Mark Cala.

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In 2015, The Age newspaper reported Dibellee (appearing as Rocco Calabrese) was sentenced to 18 months in prison after using cheques that bounced to obtain eight pallets of prawns worth more than $82,000.

Dibellee's quarter-of-a-century crime spree also involved the thefts of luxury cars and white goods, as well as being accused of threatening to kill a member of the media outside court.

A Current Affair reporter Sam Cucchiara caught up with Dibellee as he emerged from a luxury Mercedes, on the way to view yet another property.

Dibellee refused to explain his side of the story, instead choosing to cover his face.

"I haven't done nothing, leave me alone please," Dibellee said.

Jesse Rae, a former contestant on Nine's The Block and a Melbourne real estate agent almost found himself lured into Dibellee's lies.  

"He wanted to do a property swap with one that he owned and one that I owned," Mr Rae told A Current Affair.

It was this suggestion which raised suspicion for Mr Rae, who thought starting a joint venture is "very unusual with someone you've known for 10 days".

Mr Rae asked around about Dibellee, and it was then he came across several families who'd also had dealings with him.

"I don't understand why someone would go around buying properties and then not paying deposits and not settling - it's ludicrous," Mr Rae said.

"It's not as easy as just tearing up a contract when someone doesn't pay, you have to serve them a notice. It's marked as sold online, it's taken down from the internet, the campaign is stopped and then the family has to try and re-sell the property."

The McCloskey family eventually sold their home to other purchasers, six months after Dibellee's scheme unravelled.

"It's been a costly exercise that's for sure," Mrs McCloskey said.

"Loss of rent, conveyancing fees, solicitor's fees – it was a major inconvenience, a lot of stress," Mr McCloskey said.

The couple is now turning to the courts in an attempt to recoup the unpaid deposit from Dibellee.  

If you have had dealings with Rocco Dibellee, contact A Current Affair producer Georgia Linnell on glinnell@nine.com.au.