Scam in Mbour: She paid for her rides by stealing money from the drivers.

The Mbour High Court sentenced F. Ba, 32, to one year in prison, four months of which are to be served, for fraud committed against several drivers. The prosecution had requested an eight-month sentence.

This is a practice that tends to be repeated. This was the observation made at the hearing during the trial of F. Ba, who was prosecuted for acts involving several drivers.

The defendant allegedly used a similar modus operandi in several other cases already judged at the Mbour High Court.

F. Ba said she was accompanied by two friends. The three women had taken a ride, and her companions had agreed to pay for the rental. But when it came time to pay, they had no money. F. Ba then agreed to pay for the ride herself. She claims she borrowed the driver's cell phone to make a call. She then withdrew 60,000 CFA francs from the driver's Wave account before paying for the ride provided by driver A. Diouf.

Another driver, Mr. Diouf, also gave his testimony. He had hired F. Ba for a trip to the Riu Baobab hotel, then on to Saly. The client owed him 35,000 CFA francs and had also borrowed 10,000 CFA francs from him.

But the situation reportedly took a different turn when F. Ba asked her to lend him her mobile phone. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she allegedly stole 30,000 CFA francs belonging to the driver.

In total, Mr. Diouf is claiming 75,000 CFA francs.

The prosecutor alerts the drivers

At the hearing, the prosecutor denounced a modus operandi which, according to him, was not an isolated case. He recalled that two similar cases had already been tried by the court, using the same method.

The judge therefore called on drivers to be vigilant, believing that these practices are becoming increasingly common.

He also urged transport professionals to raise awareness among their colleagues about this new form of scam and to exercise caution when a customer calls them or asks them for money.

In his submissions, the prosecutor had requested eight months' imprisonment for the defendant.

After deliberation, the court finally sentenced F. Ba to one year in prison, including four months of mandatory imprisonment, and to pay the sums claimed by the civil parties.