The Sunday Mail
Emmanuel Kafe
IMAGINE finding yourself behind bars or being investigated for a crime that you did not commit?
It sounds like a scene from a Hollywood script but several people have of late found themselves in this predicament.
A new criminal ring with countless faces is on the loose.
If you happen to have lost one of your critical documents such as a national identity card, driver’s licence, passport, credit card or visa card, you have every reason to be worried.
Fraudsters are hunting for people’s identity particulars which they use to commit all sorts of crimes.
In some instances, the lost identity credentials are taken to foreign countries and sold to criminal syndicates who either try to evade police detection by dropping them at a crime scene or directly use the document for unlawful activities.
Talk of “clean” diversion!
What is identity theft?
Identity theft is defined by crime experts as the deliberate use of someone else’s identity, usually as a method to gain a financial advantage or obtain credit and other benefits in the other person’s name, and perhaps to the other person’s disadvantage or loss.
It may occur in cyberspace, bank, hospitals, insurance companies, real estate agencies, supermarkets, post offices and travel agencies.
These places, and many others, are receivers of citizens’ personal information but can also be suppliers as well.
Shocking
An American man, Fortune Aikorogie (33), was last month arrested for using a fake Zimbabwean passport for money laundering and visa fraud.
The man used a counterfeit Zimbabwean passport, including name, and United States (US) visa bearing his photograph to open a bank account that he later used to swindle thousands of US dollars from elderly women.
The man is said to have obtained the documents from a friend in Africa.
Aikorogie has since appeared before the courts and his sentencing is scheduled for October 14.
Before him, Tinotenda Madyira, a 31-year-old Zimbabwean living in the United States was last year booked into Coconino County jail for identity theft crimes.
During his trial, it emerged that he had previously been arrested for a similar offence in 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He pleaded guilty to selling a number of stolen Zimbabwean identities to a crime ring that obtained at least US$5 million in fraudulent tax refunds.
Madyira was using a forged identification card by the time of his arrest.
Back home, a daring bogus soldier was recently arrested and prosecuted for using a fake Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) identity card which he used to enjoy free rides in military buses for a year. The phoney soldier accessed free health care at military medical facilities over the period.
Similarly, a National University of Science and Technology banking and investment student, Irvine Chikoto (22), was arrested for identity theft while on attachment at a local bank.
He stole an ID number and personal banking information such as visa card details, verification codes etcetera, and started ordering goods online.
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Several other cases are happening in and outside the country. Some are just yet to be detected.
Pundits opine identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world and experts believe that every two seconds someone’s identity is stolen somewhere in the world.
“We can confirm that cases of identity theft and impersonation have been recorded. Members of the public are urged to report quickly whenever their documents are stolen or lost. Likewise, companies and retail shops are being conscientised to tighten security when handling documents that may be used to commit crime,” said national police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi.
He added awareness campaigns were being conducted through electronic and print media.
“ . . . they need to be diligent and not disclose pin codes and security features or key information to each and every person,” he said.
Victims
Kudzai Bandera who resides in Kuwadzana found himself in police custody recently, facing theft and burglary charges after his national identity card was found at a crime scene.
The gentleman lost his ID card when his wallet was stolen early this year and never bothered to report the matter to the police.
“I was shocked when I found myself being accused and investigated of theft. I neither committed the alleged robbery nor visited the crime scene. The police only released me after some serious explanations and cross-checking of facts,” revealed a visibly disturbed Bandera.
It gets worse! Natasha Gavade of Tynwald South got the shock of her life after her name appeared on the police wanted list in South Africa.
“At first I thought it was a hoax but later on discovered I was indeed wanted by the South African police. I saw my name and ID displayed on different social media platforms. I was accused of being a maid who stole money from her employer in that country. Strangely, I have never crossed the border into South Africa,” she said.
Investigations
The Sunday Mail Society is reliably informed that migrants, particularly those in South Africa, are buying fake Zimbabwean documents for a premium.
Stolen identity has become a potent tool for sophisticated fraudsters.
Some of them have become so daring that they are advertising on social media their willingness to purchase lost IDs, bank cards, and expired passports.
These will then be sold to the fraudsters.
To get more insight, we contacted one of the Harare based traders of lost documents who identified herself as Chipo.
She uses a foreign cellphone number.
A price list was immediately issued to us soon after exchanging pleasantries.
We then requested a passport following which she asked for the gender, age, complexion and current picture of the person that intended to use the travelling document.
The details are used to search for a possible match.
“I have it. You need to pay US$50 or equivalent in real-time gross settlement (RTGS) or mobile transfer for the passport,” she said.
The local mobile number she gave us for the transaction is registered under Fortunate (surname withheld) — who most probably is another victim of identity theft.
Other documents such as a driver’s licence cost US$50 while a national identity document is the cheapest on the list, pegged at US$15.
“. . . national IDs are easy to secure. We collect lost IDs at hospitals, banks, shops, photocopying centres, bars, bus stations and so on. There is little hustle,” explained Chipo.
Deception
Several people have fallen victim to fraudsters that impersonate influential people for criminal purposes.
At least nine people were arrested for committing the aforesaid crime between January and June this year.
“Criminals impersonate prominent citizens to inspire confidence. The public should be security conscious and take campaign messages seriously. Similarly, we discourage them (public) from making shortcuts when undertaking daily business as they risk losing hard-earned savings,” said Assistant Commissioner Nyathi.
Cyber-crimes
Meanwhile, cybercriminals are capitalising on the increased use of paperless money by cloning bank cards.
They intercept bank transactions or hack into sites where one would have made an online purchase.
“It is borderless, affecting people in any continent. Sadly, this type of crime is heavily neglected. It simply does not receive the attention it deserves but a lot of people are victims,” notes Mr Innocent Muponda a cybercrime expert.
Card cloning, fraud, identity theft and money-laundering through electronic vandalism are the most common cybercrimes in Zimbabwe according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).
