Dene Broadbelt, dubbed “Dirty Harry”, used his alias Harrison O’Connor to contact about 10 people with connections to the Timboon and Cobden districts and offer them jobs earlier this month.

The 21-year-old also selected a premises in Port Campbell and made inquiries about leasing it to open a real estate outlet.

Inquiries by The Standard revealed he does not have a Victorian real estate licence or a sub-agent’s licence.

His only previous experience in the industry was in the NSW south coast region, where he worked for less than three months late last year as a leasing agent before leaving at short notice.

It is understood police in NSW and Northern Territory are investigating his links to a string of alleged offences using fake references.

His appearance in south-west Victoria has also been brought to police attention.

The former radio announcer set up a national events promotion and recruiting agency which collapsed in July.

He allegedly also operates under the names of Dean Mussillon, Nic Lloyd and Clay O’Connor. 

Former journalist for The Standard Geoff Rounds said Mr Broadbelt, using the O’Connor alias, had contacted him to take photographs for a proposed real estate venture covering Timboon, Cobden and Camperdown.

“He also approached a number of other people to work for him,” Mr Rounds said. “I checked his background and found he has a trail of debts.”

A Cobden woman, now studying in Melbourne, said she first met Broadbelt on February 28 while she was working at a Timboon shop.

“He came into the shop and introduced himself as Harrison O’Connor,” she said.

“I remember he had a charming personality and wore smart casual clothing.

“He came back again plenty of times and used me as source of names.

“Then he started stalking my friends and family via Facebook and messaging late at night.”

It is understood he tried to poach two bank employees and also attempted to find workers on a major careers website.

Two real estate agents whose businesses cover the Timboon and Cobden districts told The Standard they had concerns about his intentions.

One described how a Mr “O’Connor” made an approach wanting to open an outlet in Port Campbell.

A Port Campbell police spokesman said officers were aware of concerns.

“Our advice is always for people to do background checks before signing anything for employment or real estate,” the officers said.