Melbourne couple say they lost $40,000 after falling victim to possible Optus hack

A Melbourne couple who have lost $40,000 to scammers says the experience has been like watching their house burn down.

Mary-Jane Daffy and Jim Marinis, who own and operate a cafe, believe they are victims of the Optus hack, with cyber criminals able to use their data to withdraw their cash, and set up loans and credit cards in their name.

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Daffy said the ordeal “snowballed” when the couple noticed an unauthorised transaction.

“Jim turned to me and said, ‘why did you take $9000 in cash out of the bank?’,” Daffy told 7NEWS.

“And I said I didn’t.

“It snowballed from there.”

Melbourne small Business owners Mary-Jane Daffy and Jim Marinis have told their harrowing story of being scammed thousands of dollars. Credit: 7NEWS

The couple says around $40,000 has been stolen via teller withdrawals, while the scammers have racked up another $20,000 in fraudulent debt.

“There are real people on the end of this and there are real consequences for these breaches,” said Daffy.

“It feels like your house is burning down and you’re locked outside and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The couple has told their story as a warning to others about the impact of identity theft.

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