An immigrant father-of-one involved in a “phishing” scam on a Kilkenny bank customer has escaped jail after Judge Desmond Hogan gave him a suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
“Phishing” is a method of fraudulently acquiring bank customers’ details by sending an e-mail which directs users to enter details at a fake banking website which looks almost identical to the legitimate one.
Eghosa Aigbe (38 ) of Belfry Hall, Citywest, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to opening a bank account dishonestly by deception on July 10, 2006 at Bank of Ireland, Phibsborough. He also admitted stealing €12,000 on August 9, 2006 at Bank of Ireland, Smithfield; Inchicore; and at an ATM in Clondalkin.
Judge Desmond Hogan noted that this type of crime was becoming more prevalent.
“It’s a sneaky, mean type of crime, with skill and premeditation used,” he said. “But this defendant seems to be at the lower rung of the ladder.” However he said Aigbe was doing it for financial gain.
Judge Hogan imposed a three-year sentence which he suspended on condition that Aigbe perform 240 hours community service and pay Bank of Ireland €5,000 compensation, noting “I suppose they need it now.”
Garda Raymond Lee told Ms Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting, that staff at the Kilkenny Bank of Ireland contacted a customer on August 9 to ask if she had transferred €12,000 to another account.
The woman confirmed she had not authorised the transaction but it transpired that she had replied to a bogus “phishing” e-mail purporting to be from her bank which asked her to verify her details for anti-fraud purposes.
Garda Lee said Aigbe was identified from CCTV footage from the Phibsborough Bank of Ireland branch on July 10, when he opened an account in the false name, Nosa Peter.
Gardaí found him in a house on Chaplain’s Place in Clondalkin, where they also found a bank lodgement slip in Nosa Peter’s name, documents in Aigbe’s name, and numerous photographs of him.
Garda Lee agreed with Mr Cathal McGreal BL, defending, that the accused said he didn’t know about the e-mail and wasn’t the author. The garda accepted Aigbe’s word on that but reminded the court that he had opened the account and withdrawn the money.
Mr McGreal said his client wasn’t the brains behind the scam, but the front man. He had been in Ireland since 2000 and had no previous convictions.
He said Aigbe had no job at the time of the crime but was desperately seeking employment. He had just moved to Dublin, having separated from his partner in Virginia, Cavan. He was finding it difficult to get his social welfare payments due to the separation.
Mr McGreal said Aigbe now had two jobs and paid maintenance for his child. He earned up to €1,280 per week and wanted to pay back the money he had stolen.
Mr McGreal had said that at first the affected bank customer had difficulty getting compensation from her bank because she freely gave her information, but she had now received it.
