Two Asian men on trial for e-signature fraud

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Criminal Court commenced the trial of two Asian men accused of electronic signature fraud, forgery of a private document, and unauthorised access to an information technology system. The first defendant, a 46-yearold manager, is in custody, while the second defendant, a 42-yearold businessman, is currently at large.

The court has scheduled August 4th for the defendants to review the case and respond to the charges. The case stems from a complaint filed by a financial company alleging fraudulent activities conducted through the electronic payment gateway of a commercial establishment.

The company detected 14 suspicious transactions involving foreign bank cards belonging to individuals outside of Bahrain, without their consent. The perpetrators used the establishment’s website to process the funds into the establishment’s bank account. Investigations revealed that the defendants were involved in the scheme.

They had rented the commercial registration from the owner of the commercial company, created a website for the establishment, and entered stolen bank card details to transfer funds into their personal bank account. A witness from a financial services company testified that the company provides various electronic services, including electronic payment services for commercial establishments. The service was provided to the establishment in question on June 12, 2022.