Hackers Defraud Pensioner of ZWG$172 Million

Munyaradzi Mashiri

Court Correspondent

Three suspected hackers have appeared in court on allegations of defrauding a pensioner of ZWG$172,349,999 and US$733 after illegally accessing his banking accounts.

Mirriam Matiyenga ,47, Chipo Varaidzo Mary Moyana ,45, and Oswald Nyika ,35, were brought before Harare Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa, facing fraud charges. They were granted bail of US$300 each and remanded to March 26.

The complainant, Edson Chisina ,55, a retired civil servant from Chimanimani, had been anticipating his pension payout when the crime occurred. According to prosecutor Anesu Chirenje, Chisina retired on November 26, 2023, and his benefits were deposited into his CBZ bank accounts on December 21, 2023. The deposits amounted to ZWG$370,759,874.73 and US$350,000.

On the same day, Chisina’s Econet mobile number, which was linked to his bank accounts, suddenly lost network service. Unbeknownst to him, the accused had unlawfully replaced his SIM card, allowing them access to his accounts.

They immediately began transferring large sums of money to various accounts. Over the next two days, between December 21 and December 23, 2023, they siphoned ZWG$172,349,999 into multiple bank accounts, including those belonging to Blue Light Logistics (Pvt) Ltd, Wembly Investments, and an individual named Sibusiso Nleya.

Additional transactions were made to other CBZ accounts.

After replacing his SIM card, Chisina started receiving transaction notifications and quickly realized his accounts had been significantly debited. He immediately reported the unauthorized transactions to the police.

During investigations, detectives traced some of the stolen funds to a CBZ account under Blue Light Logistics, which was linked to Nyika. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested him on February 11, 2024. Under interrogation, Nyika implicated Moyana, leading to her arrest, and she, in turn, named Matiyenga, who was also taken into custody.

Despite the arrests, the stolen money—amounting to ZWG$172,349,999 and US$733—has not been recovered.