The Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Ghana Police Service, Kumasi, have initiated investigations into the strange circumstances under which an amount of GHc40,000 was withdrawn from a customer’s account within three days.
The said withdrawal was without the authority of the account holder.
The probe by the two bodies follows a complaint by the client and victim, Mr. Alexander Asare, a staff of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) who operates Account at the Adum Post Office branch of Fidelity Bank in Kumasi.
According to the complainant, his account balance as at December 24, 2023 was GHc85,258.15, from which he withdrew GHc3,000.
He said a total of 8,600 was withdrawn between December 24 to 27 but to his surprise his balance stool at GHc988.65.
The complainant claims he quickly alerted the bank suspecting an inside job because his phone got missing in the evening of December 24 and for somebody to withdraw monies from his account and further disburse to other contacts when he is the only person privy to his PIN was strange.
His fears of a criminal activity was heightened when he realised that GHc40,000 had been deposited into a saving dormant account he operates at the same bank from his phone which was used to withdraw the GHc80,000 from his account.
While Mr. Asare is holding Fidelity Bank liable for the loss, the Bank is reportedly claiming it is not liable for the said withdrawals.
Mr. Asare has lodged a formal complaint to the Kumasi Central Police and the Bank of Ghana to intervene and track the perpetrators of this fraudulent activity.
Mr. Asare has also called for a probe of the loan officer of the Bank who had approved a loan of GHc93,000 into the said account as well as the Branch Manager.
He also wants investigators to probe how the GHc40,000 from his main and active account found its way into his dormant account and bring those behind the criminal act to book.
The Loan officer is helping the police in their investigations and has given a written statement to the police to that effect.
Meanwhile, Maataa Opare, Group Head, Legal and Co. Sec of Fidelity Bank on March 18, 2924 while responding to the complaints of the said account holder said their findings, following investigations, do not support the complaints of unauthorised withdrawals from his account.
But Mr. Asare has disagreed with the position of the bank saying ” the withdrawn amount was in their (bank) custody not on his phone”.
According to him, the Area Manager of the bank had told him on phone that his PIN “was resetting ” but the bank said otherwise that ” there was a device setting “. E N D
