Christopher Thomas, STAR Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A Montego Bay man who allegedly tried to purchase $2,500 worth of Digicel phone credit with a forged credit card found himself before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Thursday answering fraud charges.

The accused man, who was identified in court as Tennyson White, is charged with obtaining services by a forged document.

The court was told that on June 20 White and another man went to a store at Westgate, in Montego Bay, and requested the credit to be placed on his phone. He offered a FirstCaribbean Visa credit card to do the transaction.

However, the transaction failed as the card was declined, and when informed of the problem, White's companion left to get money, but did not return. White was then asked if he wished to have the credit removed from his phone, but he declined.

The store supervisor then took the card and made checks with FirstCaribbean who informed him that the card was fraudulent. The police were subsequently summoned to the store and White was arrested.

"Did they take back their credit off the phone?" asked Resident Magistrate Sheron Barnes, after hearing the allegations. "Where is the credit?"

"I have learned that they decided not to take back the credit," said White's lawyer, Morrel Beckford.

"People are getting more and more ingenious; not your client, of course," RM Barnes quipped.

"Wrong place, wrong time," answered Beckford.

Meanwhile, the prosecution revealed that the case file is still incomplete as several bank statements are outstanding.

A new mention date was set for September 27. The investigating officer was bound over to complete the file. White had his bail extended.

"Looks like he (White) had better use the other network," RM Barnes remarked, as White left the courtroom.