Guaranty Trust Bank Foils ATM Fraud

An attempt by two suspected fraudsters to defraud a customer of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) of millions of Naira with a stolen Automated Teller Machine (ATM) has been foiled by officials of the bank.
The police at Alakara police station, Mushin, Lagos, also arrested and charged Wahaab Zongoima (22) before a Yaba Magistrate Court on a three count charge of conspiracy, stealing and attempting to escape from police custody.
He was alleged to have stolen the card from Kabiru Akole on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, during a BRT bus ride to Jibowu bus-stop.
He was arrested when he went to GTB LUTH branch, to withdraw money from the account of Akole.
Wahaab who pleaded not guilty to the offence said he found the ATM card in a purse he found at the bus-stop, containing N24,000 and a National ID Card belonging to Akole while on a BRT ride with his friend, minassara, who is now at large.
The accused said he immediately contacted the victim who asked him to go to the bank and assist him change the pin code and that he was trying to insert the pin code when he was arrested.
But the police has a different story to tell. The police alleged that Wahaab had gone to the bank to use the ATM card and when he could not get the pin code, he applied for the change of the PIN number. It was in the course of changing the PIN number that the bank discovered that he was not the true owner of the account.
The police said the offences Wahaab committed are punishable with terms of imprisonment under sections 516, 390 (a) and 132 of the criminal code.
The accused who pleaded not guilty was granted bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum. He could not fulfill the bail condition and was subsequently remanded in prison custody.