Man Hacks UZ System Allocates Accommodation To 64 Students, Pockets Thousands
A Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agent, Martin Magomana (36), hacked the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) computer network recently and allocated accommodation to students at very low fees.
Once he had that access, Magomana proceeded to approach students who were seeking accommodation and charged them between US$40 and $60 to secure it.
He is said to have done this between October and November 2021. All in all, he allegedly pocketed over US$3000 from the 64 students he offered the service.
One student who was allocated a room by Magomana went to the Accommodations Officer to get confirmation that he had indeed been allocated the room.
The admissions crew investigated the matter and found that he had been fraudulently allocated the room.
That’s when they saw that 63 other students had been allocated accommodation by the same actor.
When applications are received, a panel decides on who gets accommodation and updates the register accordingly, then the system is updated.
The higher learning institution has a record of students whose applications for accommodation were successful and that record is offline. The computer system is updated periodically.
The messages he exchanged with students, soliciting money were then brought to light and he was promptly located and charged. My man had a good paper trail into his whole operation. So it shouldn’t be hard for the prosecution to get the conviction.
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More: Zim Morning Post; TECHZIM
