Bank officer behind card cloning jailed.

Bank officer behind card
cloning jailed.

Justice Teresa Berrigan said this makes him the first person

to be "sentenced for the offence of unlawful

disclosure contrary tos 25(1), Cybercrime Code Act

A former lending sales officer of the Bank of

South Pacific Financial Group Limited has

been sentenced to four years imprisonment

for accessing customer's confidential bank

account details to steal more than K100,00

Justice Teresa Berrigan said this makes him

the first person to be "sentenced for the

offence of unlawful disclosure contrary to 25(1), Cybercrime Code Act.

Francis Ampalavio,43 of Uvol village in Pomio

District of East New Britain Province, was an

emotional wreck on Friday when the decision

sentence was read to him in court by judge

Teresa Berrigan last Friday.

Justice Berrigan noted that four years was an

appropriate sentence rather than the

maximum of 15 years.

"Whilst I am not suggesting that this applies

as a general rule, I do not think it is

appropriate, in the circumstances of this case

for Ampalavio to face a significantly different

penalty from those who could be prosecuted

for misappropriating the monies themselves"

she said.

She said the sentence was general as well as

to deter future crimes of similar nature.

The father of five, who had this job for 8 years,

pleaded guilty to the crime in 2021 where it

was revealed that he had assisted a man

named "Elizah or Eko" to access four separate

Customer's account details to which Eko duplicated the cards using a skimming device

and stole K144,679.

Mr Ampalavio was employed as a lending

sales officer with BSP Financial Group Ltd

based at the Harbour City branch in Port

Moresby.

On four separate occasions between 5 Auqust

and 10 September 2021 he used the computer

at his work station to log into the Bank's

Integrated Comprehensive Banking System

(ICBS) to view the account details of four BPS

Customers.

These were Xiana Trading Limited, Jerry Agus,

Pape Accountants & Business Advisors, and

Hannah's 18 Construction.

In each case Mr Ampalavio sent the customer

information file number, card expiry date and

the card number of the accounts to Eko via

text message, using his mobile phone.

Eko used the data to duplicate the customer's

bank card using a skimming device following

which the card was used to withdraw money

at several Eftpos machines and ATMs in Port Moresby.

Earlier on in court, Mr Ampalavio admitted

that he received only K1000 from Eko during

the commissioning of the crime.

The customers concerned have suffered the

stress of losing their funds - K53,897.50,

K45,928, K 25,784, and K19,069.50,

respectively - and the inconvenience of

reporting the lost monies and obtaining new

cards. The Bank had to bear the cost of

reimbursing its customers the lost monies

(K144,679).

Justice Berrigan applauded the BSP internal

investigative unit for bringing the crime to

light.

She sentenced Ampalavio to four years with 1

year to be deducted due to good reports of

him by his community and also deducted the

4 months which he already spent in custody

before coming out on bail.

Justice Berrigan ordered that he be taken

straight to Bomana after court.

Mr Ampalavio who came to court from home

on Friday, could barely fight back his tears as

the judgment was read and finalised.

Source: Post Courier