In his own words: AFL commentator Mike Sheahan opens up about how he was scammed out of $40,000

It was a call AFL commentator Mike Sheahan never expected. Now, he is opening up about the moment his bank told him he was the victim of a fraudulent online scam.

A woman from Westpac is on the line. I ask if she can call back. She says “it’s serious” and I pull over in the car to take the call.

She tells me I have been the victim of a fraudulent online transaction that has seen $147,000 of my money in Westpac deposited into an account at the Commonwealth Bank.

After I come to terms with the news, she says “it’s not all gone” … a sense of relief sweeps over me.

“There is $7000 left.”

As it turns out, the thief has her way with $40,000 withdrawn in two transactions from banks in Gippsland near her home town of Leongatha, and mysteriously deposits the remaining $100,000 into an account in her name at Westpac.

Mercifully, the bank freezes the account.

In due course, it is deposited back into my account.

This all happened in July/August last year.

Mike Sheahan is still chasing his missing $40,000. Picture: Tony Gough

Nine months on, I am still chasing the missing $40,000 … and waiting to see the culprit/s brought to justice.

No real progress on either front.

I was the victim of a corrupted e-mail exchange between one of my daughters and my personal assistant on the matter of a debt to another daughter, Kate, of $147,000.

Here’s the irony.

I borrowed the $147,000 from Kate for three weeks because Westpac wouldn’t allow me to withdraw money sitting in a term deposit in my name.

I offered to waive the interest accrued and to do whatever was necessary to access my money to pay an instalment due on the house I was building.

No, can’t be done, the bank said.

Apparently it is a law designed to attempt to minimise money laundering.

So, I borrow the required money from my daughter until the term deposit matures, then, in accordance with her apparent wishes, repay her to a CBA account, a new account.

The money was sent to a CBA account, payable to Kate Sheahan.

I understand it was an account set up by the scammer.

Acting on corrupted e-mails, we assumed Kate had set up a new account with the CBA to help finance an apartment purchase and followed instructions re the suggested transfer.

I have been in regular contact with police in St Kilda and Gippsland.

The sum total of my various conversations with St Kilda police was: “These things can take a long time … to be quite honest, law and order has to take precedence.”

I would have thought being robbed of $40,000 came under the heading of law and order, even if no violence were involved.

As happens in the corporate world these days, I can put my case to no one in authority.

I responded to a full-page CBA newspaper offer to take any problems to the big boss, Matt Comyn. Those representing Mr Comyn responded by saying the bank couldn’t help.

People in executive roles at other banks originally assured me we would recover the money, that the banks covered innocent victims of fraud.

Not so far they haven’t.