Jessica Oforiwa, a 35-year-old caterer and hairdresser, has been sentenced to five years in prison for her involvement in a fraudulent scheme that saw her steal GH₵81,060 from customers of GCB Bank using cloned cheques.
Oforiwa was convicted on seven charges, including abetment of crime and stealing, with the sentences running concurrently.
While Oforiwa is now serving her sentence, her accomplices—including Dawda Sawdido, Mohammed Muktar, Fuseini Saeed Ibrahim, Felix Mensah, Lawrence Quarshie, and Philip Ansah—are still at large.
During her sentencing, the court took into account Oforiwa’s status as a first-time offender and mother of two but stressed that her actions were premeditated and carried out with full knowledge of their consequences. Oforiwa played a significant role in facilitating the thefts by aiding the fugitives in misappropriating funds from the bank.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, who led the prosecution, called for a deterrent sentence, citing the rising number of similar crimes that were undermining the stability of financial institutions and the economy.
The fraudulent activity came to light in 2022, when GCB Bank identified that eight checks had been cloned from customer accounts, resulting in the unlawful withdrawal of GH₵81,060. Victims of the crime included Rejoice Emekor Senezah, who lost GH₵12,000, and Felcon Electrical Enterprise, which had GH₵47,460 stolen.
Investigations revealed that Oforiwa’s company, Jesnat Cook Company, was the recipient of the cloned checks. The suspects used chemical methods to erase the original details and signatures, making the checks appear legitimate for withdrawal.
Several of the suspects successfully withdrew large sums from the bank. For instance, Dawda Sawdido withdrew GH₵4,700; Mohammed Muktar made two withdrawals totalling GH₵9,700; and Fuseini Saeed Ibrahim took GH₵5,000. The largest single theft came from Felix Mensah, who withdrew GH₵47,460.
On August 1, 2022, Philip Ansah and Livingston Ankomah attempted to withdraw GH₵4,700 from the Kaneshie branch of GCB Bank using a cloned check. Their attempt to withdraw an additional GH₵3,000 from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle branch raised suspicion and led to their arrest. Ankomah later confessed and was imprisoned for his role.
Oforiwa was arrested on December 24, 2022, by the Kwahu Nkwatia Police. During her interrogation, she admitted to using the cloned checks to steal the funds and suggested that her boyfriend, Samuel Gyane Nyanteh, might have been involved in the scheme.
In delivering the verdict, the judge urged financial institutions to enhance their ICT systems and provide training for bank staff, particularly tellers, to carefully scrutinise checks and other financial instruments in order to prevent such fraud in the future. The court emphasised that safeguarding the interests of shareholders and depositors is crucial to maintaining public trust in the banking system.