Hairdresser jailed 5 years for stealing via clone cheques

A 35-year-old caterer and hairdresser, Jessica Oforiwa, has been sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding GCB Bank customers of GH¢81,060 in 2022 by using forged cheques.

Oforiwa faced seven charges, including theft and aiding criminal activities. Although a first-time offender and a mother of two, the court ruled that her deliberate actions warranted punishment.

Her co-conspirators, identified as Dawda Sawdido, Mohammed Muktar, Fuseini Saeed Ibrahim, Felix Mensah, Lawrence Quarshie, and Philip Ansah, remain at large.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, the prosecutor, expressed concern over the rising incidence of such crimes, which he said undermines financial institutions and disrupts economic stability. He called for a deterrent sentence to help curb this trend.

Details of the Crime

The prosecution revealed that the complaint was lodged by Daniel Boakye, a Security Coordinator at GCB Bank’s High Street branch in Accra. Jessica Oforiwa, who resides in Kasoa, Central Region, was linked to the crime through cloned cheques.

In 2022, GCB Bank detected unauthorized withdrawals totaling GH¢81,060 from customer accounts. Investigations traced the fraud to eight altered cheques, originating from Oforiwa’s account under the name “Jesnat Cook Company.”

The fraudulent scheme involved chemically erasing original account details and signatures from legitimate cheques to create forgeries that passed initial inspections at the bank.

Among the victims were Rejoice Emekor Senezah, who lost GH¢12,000 on January 10, 2022, and Felcon Electrical Enterprise, whose account was debited GH¢47,460 on April 13, 2022.

The prosecution outlined withdrawals made by Oforiwa’s accomplices:

• Dawda Sawdido withdrew GH¢4,700.
• Mohammed Muktar withdrew GH¢4,900 and GH¢4,800 on February 10, 2022.
• Fuseini Saeed Ibrahim withdrew GH¢5,000 on January 10, 2022.
• Felix Mensah withdrew GH¢47,460 on April 13, 2022.
• Lawrence Quarshie withdrew GH¢5,000 and GH¢4,700 on April 13, 2022, at Tantra Hill and Achimota branches, respectively.
• Philip Ansah withdrew GH¢4,700 on August 1, 2022.

Arrest and Confession

On August 1, 2022, Philip Ansah and Livingston Ankomah, a previously convicted accomplice, withdrew GH¢4,700 at the Kaneshie branch of GCB Bank. When they attempted to withdraw an additional GH¢3,000 at the Circle branch, their suspicious behavior led to their arrest.

Ankomah confessed, implicating Philip Ansah as the mastermind who provided the forged cheques. Following his confession, Ankomah was sentenced to prison.

Subsequent investigations led to Jessica Oforiwa’s arrest on December 24, 2022, by the Kwahu Nkwatia Police. During questioning, she admitted to using the Jesnat Cook cheques to facilitate withdrawals amounting to GH¢81,060. Oforiwa further suggested her boyfriend, Samuel Gyane Nyanteh, might have been involved as he was living with her at the time.

Court’s Ruling

While acknowledging Oforiwa’s age and first-time offender status, the court underscored the calculated nature of her actions and her active participation in the fraud. Her conviction serves as both punishment and a deterrent to others engaging in similar criminal schemes.

The case highlights the need for financial institutions to strengthen systems and processes to prevent emerging forms of fraud and protect their customers' assets.