Latest update April 7th, 2025 12:08 AM
Man remanded for defrauding 16-year-old
Kaieteur News- A 38-year-old man, accused of defrauding a 16-year-old girl, was remanded on Friday to prison when he appeared that the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer the fraud charge.
Mohamed Ali
Mohamed Ali appeared before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore where he was charged for obtaining $738,000 by false pretense from a 16-year-old girl after pretending to be a Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) agent.
He pleaded not guilty.
Investigators for the past four years from the Criminal Investigation Department, Major Crime Unit, and Cyber Crime Unit have been actively probing a series of MMG-related frauds.
These scams involve individuals posing as MMG agents, deceiving customers into revealing their one-time passwords, hacking into their accounts, and unlawfully transferring funds. Other notable scams include fraudulent rental apartment listings, house lot schemes, and motor vehicle sales. A key person of interest in these deceptive practices is known fraudster Mohamed Ali, whose behaviour closely aligns with these activities.
According to police, the accused on March 29, 2025, contacted Shelon Whitney who was in Suriname at the time, pretending to be an MMG agent. He claimed that Whitney’s account needed to be updated urgently and convinced her to provide a one-time password while pretending to be an MMG agent.
Ali then obtained the OTP from Whitney’s 16-year-old daughter, giving him access to the account, resulting in the transfer of $113,000 to his account.
Ali further convinced the 16-year-old that MMG had a promotion and he met with her at Stabroek Market, where she handed over an additional $625,000. After realizing they had been defrauded, several reports were made to MMG, the Stabroek Market Police Outpost, and then the Cyber Crime Unit.
The police ranks acting on information received, went to High Street, Georgetown, where Ali was arrested. Cellular phones that were in his possession were seized and later analyzed by the Cyber Crime Unit, confirming their use in the commission of the fraud.
An identification parade was conducted and the 16-year-old girl identified Ali as the person who collected the money. CCTV footage was obtained showing the suspect in specific clothing at the scene. These items of clothing were later found in a suitcase at the suspect’s premises and lodged as evidence, further corroborating the police investigation.
Further investigations are ongoing, and additional charges are expected to be filed in connection with several similar incidents involving other victims.
Ali is scheduled to return to court on May 16, 2025.
(Man remanded for defrauding 16-year-old)
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Anticipation without preparation
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The Vice President of Guyana, ever the sagacious observer of the inevitable, has reassured... more
The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- Recent media stories have suggested that King Charles III could “invite” the United... more
Weekend Cartoon
