MONTEGO BAY, St James — A routine bank message led to a cybercrime case with St Mary resident Damion Francis appearing in the St James Parish Court, accused of stealing nearly $350,000 through digital bank fraud.

The allegations are that on June 26, 2024, the complainant received what appeared to be a legitimate alert from a large commercial bank, warning that his account had been frozen. Accompanying the message was a link, purportedly to resolve the issue. Trusting the source, the complainant followed the link and submitted personal banking information as prompted.

But what seemed like a standard security check quickly spiralled into financial chaos. Not long after, the complainant received alerts from the bank, first notifying him that a Damion Francis had been added as a beneficiary to his account, followed by further messages confirming that a staggering $349,000 had been transferred to the new addition.

Alarmed, the victim reported the matter to the Area One Fraud Squad.

Swift investigative efforts enabled the police to follow the digital trail leading to Francis, resulting in his arrest.

During Wednesday’s court session, presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton asked Francis whether he had legal counsel. Francis replied that he did not, but intended to secure representation.

Already out on $300,000 bail, Francis was ordered to report to a designated police station on specific days as part of his bail conditions.

The matter is scheduled for a case management hearing on June 4, and Francis’s bail was extended until that date.