Zimbabwean UK Man Jailed Nearly Five Years for £500k Banking Scam
A Zimbabwean man living in the UK has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for orchestrating a sophisticated £500,000 banking scam.
Blessing Mudzinge, 41, from Skylark Lane, Ipswich, admitted to two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, money laundering, and possessing tools for fraud. He was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court.
Judge Martyn Levett described Mudzinge as the ringleader of a 26-month operation that stole £475,918 from Barclays and £15,000 from Lloyds through “account takeover frauds.”
The court heard that Mudzinge, widely known in the Zimbabwean-UK community as Bonka, coached accomplices on how to impersonate real bank customers over the phone and online. He then funneled the stolen funds through “money mule” accounts, some tied to cryptocurrency wallets for faster laundering.
“These false bank accounts have become colourfully known ‘Frankenstein accounts’ because, like the legendary monster, the account is composed from parts of other identities which have been stitched together into a fraudulent composite, making and giving the outward appearance of a genuine account,” Judge Levett explained.
Prosecutors said Mudzinge often pretended to be a company director, persuading bank staff to change security details before transferring money. Both businesses and individuals were affected, though the banks ultimately covered the losses. Police traced over £100,000 into Mudzinge’s accounts, but most of the money had disappeared.
With 67 previous convictions, Mudzinge argued he was taking the fall for others who benefited more from the scam. His lawyer said he became involved after falling into £12,500 of debt and has been a model prisoner while on remand.
Known as Buda in Zimbabwean circles across the UK, Mudzinge was sentenced to 57 months and two weeks in jail. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is scheduled for February to try to recover the stolen funds.
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The post Zimbabwean UK Man Jailed Nearly Five Years for £500k Banking Scam appeared first on iHarare News.
