MMG fraudster denied bail again; court hears file still incomplete

Mohamed Ali, the man long suspected to be the mastermind behind a series of electronic payment scams, was brought before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Friday where Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty again refused bail in relation to a new fraud charge.
Ali, who remains in custody, is accused of posing as an agent of Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) to defraud a woman and her teenage daughter of more than $700,000.
He appeared in court as police continue their probe into multiple reports of financial scams involving the impersonation of MMG officials, manipulation of one-time passwords (OTPs), and unauthorised transactions affecting several victims across the country.
During the proceedings, the prosecution indicated that the virtual complainant was absent and the file in the matter was still incomplete. However, based on Ali’s known history of engaging in fraudulent activities, the prosecution made it clear that he should not be released.
The court was informed that Ali had previously been charged in connection with similar offences, and that shortly after being released for one such matter, he allegedly committed the current offence.
Magistrate McGusty, after reviewing the details, refused bail and set June 6, 2025, as the next date for report and further disclosure in the case.
The charges against Ali relate to an incident that occurred on March 29, when he reportedly contacted a woman who was at the time in Suriname. Identifying himself as an MMG agent, he claimed her account required urgent updating. Using this pretext, he convinced her to provide her one-time passwords. He then contacted her 16-year-old daughter and, under the same pretext, obtained further access to the account, resulting in a $113,000 transfer.
The matter escalated when Ali allegedly arranged to meet the teenager in person at Stabroek Market. There, he reportedly convinced her that she had qualified for an MMG promotion and collected an additional $625,000 in cash from her.
After realising they had been scammed, the woman and her daughter reported the matter to MMG, the Stabroek Market Police Outpost, and subsequently to the Cyber Crime Unit.
Following these reports, investigators executed an operation at High Street, Georgetown, where Ali was arrested. Several mobile phones were recovered from the premises and later examined by cybercrime analysts, who confirmed that the devices were used in the execution of the fraud.
Further investigations led to an identification parade, during which the teen reportedly picked out Ali as the individual who collected the money. In addition, surveillance footage from the area placed the suspect at the scene wearing clothing that was later found at his residence, and was lodged as evidence.
Over the past four years, Ali has been under the watch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) and the Cyber Crime Unit for his alleged role in a growing number of MMG-related scams.
These schemes included impersonating agents to trick victims into revealing sensitive information, as well as fraudulent schemes involving fake apartment rentals, housing plots, and motor vehicle sales.
Investigators believe that the recent charges form only part of a broader criminal enterprise, and that additional charges are likely as other victims come forward.