A SOUTH Coast web developer stung in an elaborate con has warned other businesses about the activities of former Batemans Bay DJ Dene Broadbelt.
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Mr Broadbelt, 20, who founded Ridge Radio in his Batemans Bay bedroom as a teenager, has reportably left a string of unpaid bills from rural NSW to Darwin.
Ulladulla’s Scott Richardson was caught out late last year.
Mr Broadbelt this month is being chased for thousands of dollars in unpaid hotel, car hire, and equipment bills after bringing a talent quest to Wollongong.
He was also sacked from a Goulburn radio station earlier this year after management said he had promised payments to performers at a community event without permission.
Ulladulla web developer Scott Richardson is owed $1500 in unpaid invoices after late last year designing artwork for music festivals that did not go ahead.
Mr Richardson said he had insisted on seeing proof of payment before handing over artwork, but had been taken in by a fake emailed bank transfer receipt.
The funds did not appear.
Mr Richardson began research online and said he soon realised that three people who allegedly worked for the festival were one and the same person.
Mr Richardson said his first contact, not in person, was a ‘Nic Lloyd’, but other personas, including a woman, ‘Brittany’, and Dene ‘Mussillon’ were soon used.
“He was extremely positive about our work,” Mr Richardson said.
“There was going to be lots of work and promises of lots of money to come.
“I even dropped a couple of projects to squeeze him in.”
Mr Richardson said at one point, ‘Nic’ handed him over to ‘Dene’.
“He said, ‘this is Dene (Mussillon), he is working for us, he will take over the job from now on’,” he said.
“I got along quite well with Dene over email, so I added him on Facebook and that is when I thought, that looks identical to Dene Broadbelt.”
Mr Richardson had, about four or five years ago, developed a website free of charge for Mr Broadbelt, who had told he was establishing a community radio station in Batemans Bay, but had heard nothing about him since.
“I said, ‘mate, I swear I know you’,” Mr Richardson said.
“He said he had changed his name and I knew people sometimes did so for family reasons, so I did not question it.”
But when the funds for payment did not appear in his account, Mr Richardson became alarmed and put two and two together.
He contacted several other people and realised he was one of many left with unpaid bills.
He withdrew permission for Mr Broadbelt to use the artwork and alerted another printer, who Mr Broadbelt had engaged.
“I had to pay wages for my staff and lost a lot of time over it,” he said.
“He is playing on people’s good nature.”
In another bizarre twist to Mr Broadbelt’s story, a former Ridge Radio associate was named as the author of a press release sent out to radio industry websites, which ‘reported’ that the station had been hacked and the Federal Police had investigated.
The associate has publicly denied writing the release and says the contents were fabricated.
Former Bay Post/Moruya Examiner editor Kim Treasure said the newspaper had received complaints that Mr Broadbelt had presented himself as a Fairfax reporter.
“We received complaints he was passing himself off as a Bay Post/Moruya Examiner reporter, when he was a young teen,” Ms Treasure said.
Mr Richardson said he was concerned for Mr Broadbelt’s mental health.
“It is sad,” he said.
“If he used his powers for good, he would be really great in event organisation and marketing.
“He has burnt too many bridges.”