News / National
Ecocash fraudster, accomplice convicted
06 Dec 2024 at 13:22hrs | Views
Luck ran out for two Masvingo men who were in the habit of defrauding local shopkeepers by creating fake EcoCash payment messages, leading to their conviction on fraud charges at the Masvingo Magistrates Court. Rodney Lwandi (30), from Mushagashe, and Innocent Mutanharu (36), from Mucheke, appeared before Magistrate Lynette Mudzingo on November 25, 2024, facing three counts of fraud totaling US$103.
The pair was arrested for defrauding two shopkeepers in Masvingo on different occasions, resulting in stolen groceries worth US$103. Lwandi, who was performing community service for similar offenses at the time of his arrest, and Mutanharu pleaded guilty to all three counts of fraud.
According to the state, represented by Prosecutor Precious Takuva, the first incident occurred on November 19, 2024, around 1:00 PM, when Lwandi and Mutanharu visited Mbudzi Business Centre in Masvingo. They approached Ashley Chigovera (17), a worker at Bee Supermarket, and pretended to be genuine customers looking to pay for groceries using EcoCash. Chigovera agreed, and the duo ordered groceries worth US$49, including instant noodles, washing powder, cooking oil, concentrate drinks, tinned fish, baked beans, rice, and spaghetti. They then showed Chigovera a fake EcoCash message as proof of payment and took the groceries.
On November 20, 2024, the duo returned to Bee Supermarket to purchase more groceries worth US$33, including flour, washing powder, sugar, rice, noodles, and spaghetti. They repeated their fraudulent tactics by presenting another fake EcoCash message and taking the groceries.
In the third count, Lwandi and Mutanharu went to Narichos Matongo (20), who was selling groceries at a tuck-shop in Mbudzi Business Centre. They ordered groceries, including 4kg of brown sugar, 4kg of rice, 2 liters of cooking oil, and 2kg of washing powder, worth US$20. Again, they showed Matongo a fake EcoCash message as payment proof before taking the items.
Matongo later discovered that no money had been transferred to her EcoCash wallet, but by then, the fraudsters had disappeared. She reported the incident to the police, and following investigations, Lwandi and Mutanharu were arrested. The stolen groceries were recovered.
The case highlights a growing trend of fraud in the area, with local businesses now on high alert for similar schemes. The two men will be sentenced at a later date following their conviction.
The pair was arrested for defrauding two shopkeepers in Masvingo on different occasions, resulting in stolen groceries worth US$103. Lwandi, who was performing community service for similar offenses at the time of his arrest, and Mutanharu pleaded guilty to all three counts of fraud.
According to the state, represented by Prosecutor Precious Takuva, the first incident occurred on November 19, 2024, around 1:00 PM, when Lwandi and Mutanharu visited Mbudzi Business Centre in Masvingo. They approached Ashley Chigovera (17), a worker at Bee Supermarket, and pretended to be genuine customers looking to pay for groceries using EcoCash. Chigovera agreed, and the duo ordered groceries worth US$49, including instant noodles, washing powder, cooking oil, concentrate drinks, tinned fish, baked beans, rice, and spaghetti. They then showed Chigovera a fake EcoCash message as proof of payment and took the groceries.
On November 20, 2024, the duo returned to Bee Supermarket to purchase more groceries worth US$33, including flour, washing powder, sugar, rice, noodles, and spaghetti. They repeated their fraudulent tactics by presenting another fake EcoCash message and taking the groceries.
In the third count, Lwandi and Mutanharu went to Narichos Matongo (20), who was selling groceries at a tuck-shop in Mbudzi Business Centre. They ordered groceries, including 4kg of brown sugar, 4kg of rice, 2 liters of cooking oil, and 2kg of washing powder, worth US$20. Again, they showed Matongo a fake EcoCash message as payment proof before taking the items.
Matongo later discovered that no money had been transferred to her EcoCash wallet, but by then, the fraudsters had disappeared. She reported the incident to the police, and following investigations, Lwandi and Mutanharu were arrested. The stolen groceries were recovered.
The case highlights a growing trend of fraud in the area, with local businesses now on high alert for similar schemes. The two men will be sentenced at a later date following their conviction.
Source - TellZim News
