*** Expat jailed for three years, fined and deported over phone scam | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Expat jailed for three years, fined and deported over phone scam

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Three years’ jail, a BD1,000 fine and deportation for an Asian expat who stole BD1,100 in a phone-code scam run with help from a shadowy overseas gang.

The court said he worked with accomplices abroad to target residents in Bahrain, calling victims and tricking them into sharing verification codes sent to their phones.

Once the code was entered, the gang could access the victim’s account and transfer the money out before anyone noticed.

In one instance, the man pretended to be a Ministry of Justice employee.

He phoned a victim and claimed he could help recover money from a previous case.

All he needed, he said, was the code that would arrive on the victim’s phone.

Moments later, BD1,100 was gone and the money was sent abroad.