Banking
Court Convicts First Bank Agent for PoS Fraud
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Makurdi Zonal Office on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 secured the conviction of a First Bank Point of Sales (PoS) agent (First Moni), Mr Eze Shedrach, before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Makurdi, the state capital on a one-count charge that bordered on cybercrime.
Trouble started for Mr Shedrach, when one of his customers collected N105,000 from him and issued him an ATM card with which he made an electronic replacement of the sum through his PoS machine.
He effected the transfer not knowing that the ATM card issued to him by the customer was stolen. Shedrach’s inability to find out the status of the ATM card followed his failure to identify the customer properly before the transaction.
Investigation by the EFCC revealed that Mr Shedrach as First Bank’s PoS agent was in the habit of carrying out financial transactions without proper documentation of his customers upon withdrawals.
The withdrawal of N105,000 done on his POS machine on April 28, 2019 was with a stolen ATM card belonging to the victim; and could not be traced in his ledger as there is no documentation to that effect.
A complaint of fraudulent withdrawal from Oodo Rose, the owner of the ATM card led to Mr Shedrack’s arrest and prosecution by the EFCC.
The one-count charge reads: “That you Eze Shedrach being a First Bank Service provider as a Moni Agent on the 28th of April, 2019 at Ikpayongo Town, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, failed to obtain proper identification of your customer before executing the customer’s electronic instruction using First Bank Plc ATM card issued to one Oodo Rose on your Point of Sale (POS) to withdraw the sum of N105,000 only and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 37(2) of the Cyber Crime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Act.”
Mr Shedrach pleaded guilty to the charge. In view of his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Y. Y. Tarfa urged the court to convict him in accordance with the plea bargain agreement he reached with the commission.
Justice Olajuwon found Mr Shedrack guilty and convicted him. He ordered him to pay a fine of N500,000 to the federal government and in addition, pay the sum of N100,500, only to the complainant as restitution. He is to remain in prison custody pending the payment of the fines.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The chief executive of TeamApt Limited, Mr Dennis Ajalie, has called for a robust collaboration in the digital payments ecosystem, saying banks and fintech companies should not see themselves as rivals.
Mr Ajalie said the industry’s regulator, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has delineated what each entity should do and how they should function in creating a successful payment ecosystem that protects consumers and enables businesses, which he admitted to be complementary and not competitive.
Touching on the imperative of borderless transactions and the solutions for implementation concerning the framework, he said, “Borderless transactions have to happen because we’re becoming more interconnected by the day and by the minute.”
“We still have a lot of siloed implementations among key stakeholders and unless we recalibrate our systems, borderless remains beyond our reach and a mirage,” Mr Ajalie stated at the Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) conference in Lagos themed Payment System Vision 2030: Navigating Contemporary Issues in Driving Future Growth.
“There’s the fierce urgency of now that demands that we find solid ways to interconnect, and once we’re able to interconnect within ourselves, reconcile properly, especially on the local front, then we can present a single, unified front that will enable us to push transactions and receive transactions from outside.
“We cannot go forward without fixing these internal challenges,” he added at the event, where he was one of the panellists.
TeamApt, a subsidiary of Moniepoint Incorporated, facilitates payment processing across many industries while enabling reliable payments for banks and their customers while reducing operating costs.
Wrapping up his thoughts, the TeamApt boss reiterated the need for industry-wide collaborations in fighting the menace of fraud.
“If we are able to all share information and collaborate seamlessly, we’ll find out that it becomes disinteresting for these bad faith individuals to use the collective technology commonwealth that we have all built to commit nefarious activities.
“So, it goes back to collaboration among fintechs, the banks, NFIU, infrastructure providers, the telcos, and switches. We’ve all got to come together to say, enough is enough and that this present situation threatens all of us rather than just one of us,” he added.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An innovative web banking platform to provide customers with an additional digital channel to manage and carry out uninterrupted daily transactions on their phones, laptops and other devices has been introduced by Bankit Microfinance Bank (MFB).
The emerging small financial institution said it came up with this platform to break barriers and empower individuals and businesses to manage their finances with confidence.
With this, Bankit MFB is redefining convenience and security in banking, ensuring uninterrupted access to financial services, time-saving functionalities, efficiency, real-time account updates, 24/7 availability, and faster transactions.
“In today’s fast-paced digital age, connectivity is everything in banking, and for us, it’s all about improving customer experience with simple banking options and empowering our teeming customers to live their best lives.
“We are revolutionizing the Fintech landscape in Nigeria, and we have developed this solution to empower our customers to bank securely, anytime, anywhere, conveniently.
“We are committed to leveraging technology to enhance the banking experience for all our customers,” the chief executive of Bankit Africa, Mr Yen Choi, stated.
“Bankit’s web banking platform reaffirms one of the bank’s core values – Innovation and sets a new standard for accessibility and security in the banking industry.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to excellence, Bankit Africa will continue to evolve its offerings to meet and exceed the needs of its rising customer base.
“Some key features of this web banking platform include: a simple way to send money, buy airtime, and pay bills with no extra fees or hidden charges,” he added.
Bankit MFB is a licensed financial institution dedicated to providing innovative, customer-centric financial solutions to individuals, businesses, and communities in Nigeria, with a focus on simplicity, convenience, and security.
By Dipo Olowookere
Banking operations at the branches of most financial institutions in Nigeria will end earlier than expected today, Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
The majority of them have sent messages to their customers to inform them of this development.
Business Post sighted some of these notices sent by the banks to their customers via electronic mails (e-mails).
One of them from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Limited said transactions at its Lagos branches will close for the day and year by 3 pm while in other branches at 2 pm, encouraging customers to use its digital channels for their financial transactions.
“We would like to inform you that all our branches nationwide will close to customers early on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
“During this period, we encourage you to take advantage of our digital channels for banking needs,” the notice read in parts.
On its part, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc said its branches would close for the day at 2 pm across the nation.
“As we prepare for the New Year celebration, our branches will close by 2 pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
“While our branches take a break, our digital channels, the UBA Mobile Banking, Leo, *919# or internet banking are available 24/7 for all your banking needs.
“Your security is our priority. We will never ask for your BVN, card number, PIN or personal details. Suspect anything fraudulent? Call our Fraud Help Desk,” the message from the lender read.
As for Fidelity Bank Plc, it plans to stop banking services at its branches nationwide today by 2 pm to resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025.
“Please be informed that our branches will close at 2 pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, ahead of the New Year holiday.
“As always, our digital channels; Mobile Banking, USSD Bank (*770#), PoS, ATMs, Cards, and Ivy Chat, will be available 24/7 for all banking transactions.
“Please note that normal operations will resume at 8 am on Thursday, January 2, 2025,” the bank said in its message to customers.
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