Tinotenda Hove- A Harare man has appeared in court facing seven fraud charges after allegedly swindling several businesses out of goods, services and office accommodation using counterfeit international bank transfer confirmations.

Tatenda Dinno Mudimu (41), of Epworth, is accused of posing as a representative of a United Kingdom-based company and producing forged HSBC payment documents to deceive businesses into releasing property and granting him access to office premises.

Court papers indicate that the alleged fraudulent activities resulted in losses amounting to US$33,220, although police have managed to recover property valued at US$5,362.
One of the cases involves Karigamombe Centre Property Portfolio, which Mudimu allegedly approached in August this year seeking office accommodation.

The company reportedly offered him a three-month lease, with payment expected through an international bank transfer.

However, on October 28, Mudimu allegedly submitted a fraudulent HSBC transfer confirmation claiming that his UK-based company had remitted US$21,000 into the property management company’s account.
Believing the transaction had been completed, the company allowed him to sign the lease and take occupation of offices on the 19th floor of Karigamombe Centre. The alleged deception was later uncovered, leaving the company with a reported US$21,000 loss.

In another case, Mudimu allegedly targeted Sahai Furniture Private Limited on October 22, ordering three water dispensers, six office and visitors’ chairs, four executive chairs and an HP printer worth US$2,050.

He reportedly requested the company’s banking details, promising to pay through an international transfer.

On October 31, he allegedly produced a fake HSBC confirmation showing that US$2,050 had been transferred. The company subsequently released the furniture, only to discover that no genuine payment had been made. Police later recovered goods valued at US$1,950.

Fitters Aluminium Private Limited was also allegedly duped after Mudimu ordered aluminium shopfront materials worth US$1,132 and requested office partitioning services.
He is accused of presenting a forged HSBC document purporting to confirm an international payment of US$38,000. The company released the aluminium materials before the alleged fraud came to light. Police subsequently recovered the materials.

Mudimu is further accused of deceiving Madrugada Private Limited, which operates at Karimapondo Mall along Leopold Takawira Road, after approaching the company to rent office space.

He allegedly secured a three-month lease by presenting a fake international transfer confirmation indicating that US$4,800 had been deposited into the company’s account.

The company reportedly granted him access to the premises before discovering that the purported payment was fraudulent.
Investigators allegedly established that Mudimu relied on the same cellphone to create fraudulent payment confirmations and communicate with the businesses he targeted.

Detectives also reportedly found forged banking documents and other transaction-related paperwork in his possession.

The State further alleges that he registered his Econet cellphone number using a Zimbabwean national identity document belonging to another person, allegedly as part of efforts to conceal his identity.

Some of the allegedly fraudulently acquired property was recovered from his workplace, while other items were traced to individuals to whom they had reportedly been sold.

Mudimu was arrested on November 3 following investigations by detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department’s Commercial Crimes Division in Harare.