An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dein Whyte, has testified as the 10th prosecution witness in the trial of Nigerian singer Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, how one of the credit card details found on a device belonging to the singer was flagged for fraudulent transaction.
Speaking at the court proceeding on Thursday, Whyte told Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, that Visa, a card payment platform, flagged the credit card.
Describing how the credit card allegedly found in the custody of Naira Marley was flagged for fraud, Whyte said that “As part of the findings from the investigation, forensic analysis revealed that malicious programmes that are being used to illegally obtain credit card information, which can be used for card non-present transactions, were found on the device that was recovered from the defendant upon his arrest. Also revealed were malicious tools used to disguise the active location of an internet user when his or her devices are connected to the internet.”
Whyte said that “tools that are used to verify the validity, active state and accuracy of credit card credentials as well as the region of the issuer of that card were discovered on the defendant’s device. The analysis further revealed the website that had been accessed on the computer of the defendant through his browser history. The websites include sites where credit card information are illegally traded.”
When the prosecution’s attorney questioned Whyte about his conclusions regarding the credit card information found on the defendant’s device, he said, “Regarding the card information recovered from the defendant’s device, investigations revealed that he also exchanged those details with other persons.”
He added that Visa had received a notification alleging that one of the cards had been used fraudulently for a transaction.
The EFCC had charged Naira Marley with eleven counts of conspiracy and credit card fraud.