Lusanda Gloria Qose, a 35-year-old former FNB sales and service consultant, has been sentenced to five years in prison for orchestrating a sophisticated fraud scheme that defrauded a retiree of R245 000.
The Gqeberha Regional Court handed down the sentence on Monday.
Qose, who worked at FNB’s Pier 14 branch, was convicted of fraud, cyber fraud, and unlawful use of access credentials after manipulating a customer’s banking profile between January and April 2024.
According to the court, the victim, 68-year-old Mlungwana Maranti, suffered significant emotional trauma after Qose illegally accessed his Encore and Money Maximiser accounts.
Using her employee credentials, Qose changed Maranti’s registered cellphone number to divert one-time pin authorisations, created a second bank card, and siphoned funds through multiple ATM withdrawals.
The stolen funds, intended for Maranti’s retirement, were fully refunded by FNB, which absorbed the loss.
“Qose’s scheme involved bypassing FNB’s security measures, including two-factor authentication and online fingerprint verification, to manipulate digital records and create the false impression that Maranti had authorised the transactions,” said Luxolo Tyali, the spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority.
Qose’s actions premeditated
The court described her actions as premeditated and sophisticated, noting the extended period over which the breaches occurred.
Despite pleading guilty and expressing remorse, Qose’s mitigation plea highlighting her role as a single mother of two and the repayment of R87 000 from her pension fund did not influence the court from imposing a custodial sentence.
Specialised commercial crimes unit prosecutor Edmyrach Matabata argued that Qose’s exploitation of a vulnerable older citizen and abuse of trust warranted imprisonment.
In a victim impact statement facilitated by court preparation officer Eric Blouw, Maranti revealed the profound emotional toll of the crime, including his contemplation of suicide as he watched his retirement savings disappear.
The court emphasised that Qose’s actions had harmed Maranti and undermined public confidence in the financial system.
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