Guernsey Press

Diligent Batif worker spots fake notes in Nigerian scam

A Quick-thinking Batif bureau de change worker told yesterday how more than a decade of experience helped her spot forged money - leading to police discovering a former nurse's plan to con a bank out of $45m.

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[caption id="attachment_32146" align="alignright" width="175" caption="Batif retail manager Sarnia Help with Guernsey Post MD Gordon Steele with fellow Batif staff. Mrs Help spotted that notes handed over by Vuyiswa Yoli were fake and alerted her superiors and police. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0760216)"]Batif retail manager Sarnia Help with Guernsey Post MD Gordon Steele with fellow Batif staff. Mrs Help spotted that notes handed over by Vuyiswa Yoli were fake and alerted her superiors and police. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0760216)

Batif retail manager Sarnia Help with Guernsey Post MD Gordon Steele with fellow Batif staff. Mrs Help spotted that notes handed over by Vuyiswa Yoli were fake and alerted her superiors and police. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0760216)

A Quick-thinking Batif bureau de change worker told yesterday how more than a decade of experience helped her spot forged money - leading to police discovering a former nurse's plan to con a bank out of $45m.

Sarnia Help, retail manager at Batif, notified staff at Guernsey Post headquarters after discovering bank notes she had received from fraudster Vuyiswa Yoli were fake.

The nurse, who had gone to the post office to send funds by Moneygram, was arrested there.

Yoli, who worked at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital from July to her arrest at the end of November, was sentenced to eight months in prison for attempting to deceive Fidelity Bank PLC of Nigeria out of money.

The case initially began as a money laundering investigation after Yoli was taken in by a scam herself and agreed to be a 'local correspondent' for the bank.

She agreed to exchange $7,000 for sterling in return for a 5% commission - she did not know the notes were forged.

Mrs Help became suspicious of the notes because of how they felt and decided to check with one of Batif's supplier's.

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