{"id":61185,"date":"2024-05-20T20:29:18","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T20:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained"},"modified":"2024-05-20T22:05:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T22:05:04","slug":"e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained","title":{"rendered":"E-money scam network dismantled in north, 28 detained"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mozambique. <\/strong><\/span>Vodacom\u2019s M-Pesa digital wallet has dismantled a \u201cnetwork of account registration agents and fraudulent SIM card sales\u201d of the Mozambican telecoms operator in \u201chigh-risk areas\u201d, leading to 28 detentions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far, 28 individuals have been detained for questioning, and the investigation is continuing, pending resolution,\u201d reads the statement released on Friday by the operator, reporting that its Forensic Fraud team dismantled this \u201cnetwork of account registration agents and fraudulent sales\u201d of cards in the province of Nampula.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe operation was the result of the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing monitoring and investigation activities carried out by Vodafone M-Pesa,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n

The operator, which owns the largest digital wallet in the country \u2013 whose transactions work only using mobile phones and their SIM card \u2013 said that in February it detected \u201cthe existence of a significant number of accounts opened by tampering with identification documents in the High Risk Zones (Northern Region)\u201d, which was followed by an \u201cin-depth investigation process that made it possible to identify registration agents involved in fraudulent activities\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fraud was carried out through the use of a single identification document by several agents, who proceeded to create several registrations based on that same document,\u201d it is further explained.<\/p>\n

It also noted that \u201cthe Namicopo and Carrupeia neighbourhoods in the city of Nampula were identified as the main focus of this illicit practice\u201d.<\/p>\n

After identifying those involved, the case was referred to the Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) in Nampula province, \u201cwhere an expanded field operation was launched, focussing on the individuals with the highest number of registrations and the highest commissions, with the aim of uncovering the source of the fraud\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Mozambican authorities have classified the Electronic Money Institutions (EMI) sector, which operates through mobile telecoms operators, with a \u201chigh\u201d threat level for terrorist financing, according to a government report published in March by Lusa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe e-money sector\u2019s threat level for terrorist financing in the country is high,\u201d reads the National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment Report.<\/p>\n

The document also recognises an \u201cexcessive movement of funds to areas of active terrorist threat using e-money institutions\u201d operating in Mozambique, noting that it is \u201cconcentrated in rural areas and with limited access to the national banking network\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this reason, there is a preference for using electronic money institutions, given the ease of use of the service and the rapid movement of funds it provides. These factors combined precipitate and make appetising the abuse of this sector by terrorist sympathisers. The existence of population clusters that reside and carry out social and commercial activities, among others, in regions with an active terrorist threat, makes it possible for terrorists and terrorist sympathisers to abuse the services of electronic money institutions for the movement of funds,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n

In February, Lusa reported that the number of EMI agents in Mozambique, guaranteeing transfers, purchases, withdrawals and deposits through mobile telecoms operators, increased by 10.5% in three months, to 224,704 in December, covering all 154 districts of the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022, in Cabo Delgado province, particularly in rural areas, transactions were mostly made in cash and using mobile wallets (electronic money), given the lack of banks operating in these areas, and terrorists had in this system, given the weak control, the preferred mechanism for moving funds channelled by family, friends, sympathisers and others and later withdrawn from agents by people with friendship ties and who later delivered cash for their terrorist activities,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Mozambique<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mozambique. Vodacom\u2019s M-Pesa digital wallet has dismantled a \u201cnetwork of account registration agents and fraudulent SIM card sales\u201d of the Mozambican telecoms operator in \u201chigh-risk areas\u201d, leading to 28 detentions. \u201cSo far, 28 individuals have been detained for questioning, and the investigation is continuing, pending resolution,\u201d reads the statement released on Friday by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":61184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[233,281,283],"class_list":["post-61185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-mozambique","tag-mozambique"],"yoast_head":"\nE-money scam network dismantled in north, 28 detained - Mozambique<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vodacom\u2019s M-Pesa digital wallet has dismantled a \u201cnetwork of account registration agents and fraudulent SIM card sales\u201d ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"E-money scam network dismantled in north, 28 detained\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vodacom\u2019s M-Pesa digital wallet has dismantled a \u201cnetwork of account registration agents and fraudulent SIM card sales\u201d ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mozambique\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-20T20:29:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-20T22:05:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2024\/05\/sm_1716226044.711473.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"589\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"E-money scam network dismantled in north, 28 detained\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-20T20:29:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-20T22:05:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained\"},\"wordCount\":591,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2024\/05\/sm_1716226044.711473.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Mozambique\",\"Mozambique\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/e-money-scam-network-dismantled-in-north-28-detained\",\"name\":\"E-money scam network dismantled in north, 28 detained - 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