Naira Marley In The Dock
An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Dein Whyte, on Thursday, told Justice Nicholas Oweibo of a Lagos Federal High Court, how Visa card, an electronic payment card system, flagged one of the credit card details found on a device belonging to a Nigerian singer, Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley, due to fraudulent transactions.
Whyte, who was the 10 prosecution witness, PW10, to testify against the hip-pop musician, who is facing trial before the court on 11-count charge of conspiracy and credit card fraud.
Whyte while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, said: “As part of the findings from the investigation, the forensic analysis revealed that malicious programmes that are being used to illegally obtain credit card information, which can be used for card non-present transactions, were found on the device that was recovered from the defendant upon his arrest.
“Also revealed were malicious tools used to disguise the active location of an internet user when his or her devices are connected to the internet.
“Furthermore, tools that are used to verify the validity, active state and accuracy of credit card credentials as well as the region of the issuer of that card were discovered on the defendant’s device.
“The analysis further revealed the website that had been accessed on the computer of the defendant through his browser history. The websites include sites where credit card information are illegally traded.”
The prosecution witness also added that the phone and the laptop recovered from the defendant were both registered with his credentials, his name and e-mail address.
When asked by the prosecution counsel to state the result of his findings on the credit card details on the defendant’s device, Whyte said:, “With respect to the card details recovered from the device of the defendant, investigations revealed that he also exchanged those details with other persons.”
He further told the court that one of the cards was reported to have been fraudulently used for a transaction by Visa. Adding that the card details that were in possession of the defendant’s device neither belonged to him nor were issued by any financial institution to him.
Under cross-examination by the defendant’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), Whyte informed the court that a letter of investigation was written to Visa and that it confirmed that the card had been flagged for fraudulent transactions.
He, however, said that Visa didn’t link the credit card fraud to the defendant’s device “because the investigation was on the card and not on the device being used for the fraud.”
He added that Visa is a payment platform and not a telecommunication company.
Meanwhile, Justice Oweibo has adjourned the matter till March 6 and 7, 2024 for continuation of trial.
The EFCC had on May 20, 2019, arraigned Naira Marley, who sang the popular song: “Am I a Yahoo Boy”, before the court, on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering and Internet fraud.
He was alleged to have committed the offences at different dates of November 26, 2018, and December 11, 2018, as well as May 10, 2019.
The commission alleged that Naira Marley and his accomplices conspired to use different Access Bank ATM cards to defraud their victims.
The EFCC also said that the defendant possessed and used counterfeit credit cards belonging to different people, with intent to defraud others.
The alleged offences are said to contravene the provisions of Sections 1 23 (1) (b), 27 (1), and 33(9) of the Cyber Crime (Prohibition) Prevention Act, 2015.”
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