Man Swaps Bank Card, Steals US$8k in Fraud Scheme

Munyaradzi Mashiri-Court Correspondent

A Chitungwiza man has been arrested for allegedly swapping a bank card and stealing over US$8,000 from an unsuspecting victim.

James Maseko ,25, appeared before magistrate Apollonia Marutya at the Harare Magistrates' Courts facing charges of fraud.

The court heard that on May 21, the complainant visited the Eastgate building at the corner of Speke Avenue and Third Street intending to transfer funds from his NEDBANK account to settle a debt.

Maseko and an accomplice, who is still at large, allegedly approached the complainant and falsely claimed they could facilitate the transfer.

Maseko reportedly asked for the complainant's bank card and instructed him to enter his PIN on a point-of-sale (POS) machine they had. After entering the PIN, Maseko claimed the POS machine was malfunctioning and returned a bank card to the complainant—only it was a look-alike fake card that had been swapped without the complainant's knowledge.

The accused and his accomplice then used the original card to make unauthorised withdrawals, stealing a total of US$8,180. The complainant only realised he had been defrauded after receiving transaction alerts from his bank.

The matter was reported to the police, leading to Maseko’s arrest. He is expected back in court on June 16 for a bail hearing.