Two Asian men jailed for text scamming senior citizen of BD500

TDT | Manama  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Appeals Court has affirmed the verdict to imprison two Asian men for five years each for being found guilty of defrauding a 60-year-old man out of BD500 through a deceptive text message scam.

The court also slapped them with a fine of BD5,000 each, and upon completion of their jail term, they will be deported from the country.

The incident leading to the case unfolded when the victim received a text message containing a fraudulent link, prompting him to provide personal information, including his bank card details.

Unbeknownst to the victim, this act facilitated the unauthorised withdrawal of BD500 from his bank account. However, after realising that he had fallen victim to a scam, the man promptly filed a complaint with the Anti-Cyber Crime Department, seeking the recovery of his funds.

Through investigations, authorities were able to trace the misappropriated funds to their final recipient, who had subsequently transferred the money overseas. The individual responsible for receiving the funds was apprehended based on security footage.

Further investigations revealed that the arrested individual, along with a partner, was operating a network of fraudulent activities. The defendants have been charged by the Public Prosecution with wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering, leading to their conviction and sentencing by the High Appeals Court.