Fraudsters Jailed Over BD1,854 Online Payment Scam

The High Criminal Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court ruling sentencing two men to three years in prison each for using stolen bank cards in an online fraud scheme.

The court also fined both defendants 1,000 Bahraini Dinars each and ordered their permanent deportation after serving their sentences.

According to the Public Prosecution, the case involved an Arab defendant, who had previous convictions, and an Asian defendant. The two carried out 12 fraudulent online transactions, using stolen bank card details to pay electricity and water bills through the government’s e-portal. The total value of the transactions reached 1,854 Bahraini Dinars.

Investigations revealed that the defendants illegally entered card numbers and verification codes belonging to other individuals. The payments were made for the benefit of four different accounts.

A fraud monitoring officer at a financial company detected the suspicious transactions after cardholders disputed the payments, confirming they had not authorized them.

Evidence presented in court included conversations in which the Asian defendant admitted executing the payments, while the Arab defendant assisted in facilitating the transactions and sometimes received a small commission.

The court also reviewed the defendants’ criminal records through its electronic system and confirmed that both had previously been convicted in similar cases involving fraudulent electricity and water bill payments. The pattern of the crime matched their earlier offences.

In its ruling, the court stressed the seriousness of cybercrime and financial fraud, affirming the sentences and deportation orders.

The case serves as a warning about the legal consequences of misusing other people’s bank card information, even in online transactions that may appear simple or routine.