Bank worker deactivated security feature on 26 KBC accounts, court told

A bank worker deactivated a security feature on 26 customers’ accounts which resulted in fraudulent transactions of over €20,000 taking place, a court has heard.

Tomi Jinad (24) was working in customer services in KBC bank in Dublin city centre in December 2018. He deactivated the feature which meant the customers would receive a text message to allow them to authorise online transactions with an authorisation code.

Det Garda James O’Meara told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that the deactivation allowed fraudulent transactions to be carried out. Jinad was passing on the account details to others who have not yet being identified.

Around 100 transactions were carried out with the amounts being stolen ranging from €100 to approximately €500. A total of €21,460 was taken and KBC reimbursed all customers.

Jinad of Grange Park View, Raheny, Dublin pleaded guilty to a number of sample counts of unlawfully operating a computer to make a gain or cause a loss to others. All of the offending took place at the bank between December 22nd and December 30th, 2018.

Jinad has a previous conviction for drug dealing. He told gardaí­ that somebody had approached him in work and told him what to do.

Cathal McGreal BL, defending, said that his client was prevailed on by others to carry out the offending and was told he would get money. Ultimately, he didn’t receive any money, counsel said.

Jinad is now working for a company doing accounts for a legal firm and earning €450 a week. Mr McGreal told the court that he had brought €3,500 to court and was willing to pay the rest of the money taken to reimburse the bank.

Judge Patricia Ryan noted garda evidence that Jinad “wasn’t in the upper echelons of large criminal organisation” and that his motive was to get money for an operation that “meant a lot to him” at the time.

She noted his apology, and the fact that he had stopped the offending before the investigation began. She noted in particular his youth.

Judge Ryan suspended for four years a prison sentence of two-and-a-half years on condition he keep the peace. She ordered that he pay sums of €5,200 each year until the balance of the money stolen was repaid.