By ALICE NACHILEMBE
The Solwezi Magistrate Court has sentenced a 26 year man to 30 months imprisonment with had labour for swindling unsuspecting members of the public using Facebook.
Reagan Maluso of Kyawama area of Solwezi had created a fake Facebook account in the name of the First Lady, Mrs Esther Lungu and used the same to swindle people out of money on pretext that they will access empowerment programs.
He was later arrested and charged with the offence of impersonation and six counts of obtaining money by false pretenses’.
Maluso appeared before Magistrate David Chibwili who found him guilty on all the charges and sentenced him to 30 months imprisonment with hard labour.
This was contained in a statement by police spokesperson Esther Katongo “We therefore warn fraudsters that the Zambia Police will not watch unscrupulous people stealing from unsuspecting members of the public using social media.
“This conviction should send a warning to all those that are in a habit of abusing social media that their time of reckoning is slowly closing up, she said.