Unemployed man in court for electronic payment fraud granted bail
An Accra Circuit Court has granted a GH₵10,000.00 bail with two sureties to a 22-year-old unemployed man for electronic payment fraud.
Moses Otcie aka “Razak,” charged on four counts of obtaining electronic payment medium falsely, allegedly pretended to be one Madam Theresa Larbi Awuni and collected GH₵7950.00 electronically from four persons under the pretext of recruiting their children into the security services.
He also told his victims that he could secure Ghana support loan and a job at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for them.
Otcie pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah, admitted him to a GH₵10,000.00 bail with two sureties, who should be family members.
The prosecution was also directed by the Court to file and serve all disclosures and witness statements.
The matter has been adjourned to March 30, 2023.
Police Chief Inspector Isaac Anquandah told the Court that the complainant was the Police, while the accused person was a resident of Adidome in the Volta Region.
The prosecution said owing to public outcry on fraudulent activities on the social media space, where fraudsters adopted the identities of prominent people to defraud innocent Ghanaians, the Crime Analysis and ICT Unit of the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) was tasked to work on some selected prominent personalities and companies/entities to clampdown on cyber swindlers.
It said during the process, intelligence revealed that Otcie hacked Madam Awuni’s social media accounts, changed the usernames and passwords, and fraudulently obtained electronic medium payment from people.
The prosecution said the tracking system of the PID tracked Otcie to Adidome in the Volta Region.
It said on February 22, 2023, a team of intelligence officers were dispatched to Adidome, Mepe and Mafi Kumasi and its environs on an operation. On February 24, the team arrested Otcie at his residence at Adidome for engaging in cyber fraud.
A Techno Spark 7 mobile phone was retrieved from his room after a search.
The prosecution said Otcie in his caution statement admitted obtaining money ranging from GH₵150.00 and GH₵4,050.00 from his victims through electronic medium to secure them jobs in the government sectors.
It said Otcie told the Police that he used part of the proceeds of his cybercrime to buy a Motor Bike.
The prosecution said investigations were ongoing to locate more of Otcie’s victims.
Source: GNA