Ghana:Two arrested for intercepting mobile money transfer

JULY 21,2014.

GHANAWEB.

A brother and his sister are in police custody for intercepting a secret code for mobile money transfer and withdrawing the money.

The suspects — Isaac Arkoh, a computer technician, and Olivia Mensah, a student — are said to have claimed the money, which had been transferred by an administrator of the Akim Oda College.

The Odorkor District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police Mr Abraham Acquaye, said on July 7, 2014, a woman filed a complaint that she had sent GH¢1,000 through mobile money transfer but the money had been claimed by someone else. She told the police that she had sent the secret code to the recipient through a text message but it had been intercepted.

The complainant is said to have received a text message the next day indicating that the money had been cashed. However, when she called to confirm from the person she had sent the money to, he said he had not withdrawn the money.

“The complainant quickly made enquiries at the network and was informed that the money was cashed at a mobile money merchant centre at Awoshie-Agape in Accra,” Mr Acquaye said. Through the mobile network system, the name of the vendor and the number of the phone used for the transaction were detected.

A report was immediately filed with the police, leading to the arrest of the attendant at the mobile money centre. When the police interrogated the attendant, she confirmed that the money had been claimed by two persons but she did not know where they lived in the community.

With the support of the network, GH¢550 cash was sent to Arkoh’s mobile phone and when he showed up at the same mobile money centre to withdraw the money, he was arrested. “He led the police to arrest his sister, who admitted that her boyfriend had given her the secret code of the transaction,” Mr Acquaye said.

He said Ms Mensah, however, could not lead the police to the said boyfriend. They have, therefore, been charged with conspiracy to steal and stealing.