Scammer who stole over BD1,000 in fake bank call loses appeal

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A fraudster who scammed a man out of more than BD1,000 with a fake phone call asking for updated bank details has had his three-year jail term upheld by Bahrain’s highest court.

The victim received a suspicious call instructing him to update his bank details through an online link. When he clicked it, he was asked to enter a set of numbers, supposedly to verify his identity.

Bank alert

Moments after typing in his private code, he received a bank alert showing more than BD1,000 had been stolen from his account.

Realising he had been scammed, he went straight to the Cybercrime Directorate.

Detectives, working alongside an e-wallet firm, tracked the stolen cash to a man who had withdrawn it from an ATM and sent it offshore.

Security footage from the ATM was enough for police to arrest the offender.

Investigation

Further investigation showed he was working with an unknown fraudster overseas, who orchestrated the scam while the local offender withdrew and transferred the stolen money for a cut of the proceeds.

The prosecution charged him with colluding to misuse the victim’s electronic signature to steal money and using fraudulent means to access private banking data.

The Court of Cassation upheld the guilty verdict, confirming his three-year sentence.