The Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) has charged two people in connection with what it describes as a sophisticated phishing scam, that defrauded the National Commercial Bank of over $47 million.

25-year-old Garrick Lewis and 33-year-old Romemone Thompson are charged with the acquisition of criminal property, engaging in a transaction involving criminal property, facilitating the use of criminal property and receiving stolen property.

Thompson, who is believed to have acted as Lewis’ accomplice, was already in police custody for separate crimes.

Allegations are that between April and June 2022, Garrick, who is suspected of being part of a wider organized criminal syndicate, helped to illegally access funds from several bank accounts via an online phishing scam.

MOCA said the stolen money was transferred to various beneficiary accounts, which were used to withdraw the funds or further transfer them to other banking institutions.