Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
A TEENAGER who turned technology into a weapon of betrayal will spend time behind bars after swindling his trusting friend out of US$800 through EcoCash fraud.
Terence Bester Solomon (19) of Mukonora Village under Chief Makoni was this week convicted at the Rusape Magistrates’ Court for exploiting a 57-year-old man who treated him like family.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the drama began on September 1, 2025, when Solomon asked to borrow the victim’s cellphone pretending he wanted to make a call.
“Unbeknown to the complainant, the offender knew his EcoCash PIN and secretly transferred US$300 to his own account,” read the statement.
Two days later, the young trickster struck again.
“On September 3, he transferred US$500 from the complainant’s POSB Bank account into EcoCash and immediately diverted the funds to his personal account,” added the NPAZ.
The court handed Solomon a 12-month sentence, with two months suspended for five years and three months suspended on condition he restitutes the full US$800 by 31 October 2025.
The NPAZ used the case to send a strong message to would-be scammers.
“Digital money fraud will not be tolerated. Technology should empower communities, not be used to exploit unsuspecting victims,” warned the authority.
