Saint-Louis police arrest man for mobile money fraud

Police in Saint-Louis, Senegal, have arrested a man suspected of large-scale financial fraud involving mobile money services. The suspect is accused of fraudulent withdrawals, fraud, usurpation of function, and money laundering.

According to investigators, the individual operated by posing as an Orange Money field agent, often wearing a vest to gain trust. He would approach victims, such as shopkeepers at the Ndar market, offering to install the ‘Max it’ application or assist with account limit increases. Once the victim handed over their phone, the suspect would access their device to perform unauthorized withdrawals from their Wave accounts. In one specific instance, he successfully withdrew 264,000 CFA francs from a victim.

Investigations revealed that the suspect had processed approximately 37 million CFA francs in transactions through his Orange Money account over a three-month period. During interrogation, the suspect reportedly admitted to the scheme, explaining that he would collect customers' national identity card information and secret codes, exploiting the fact that many users utilize the same PIN for multiple money transfer services.