Digital Code penalizes online bank card fraud

Kinshasa, March 18^th, 2026 (CPA).- The falsification of bank cards for online transactions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is punishable under the Digital Code, a lawyer stated Wednesday in an interview with CPA in Kinshasa. “The falsification or counterfeiting of a payment card to carry out electronic withdrawals from another person’s bank account constitutes an unauthorized act classified as bank fraud and is punishable under the Digital Code,” said Pascal Okito, a lawyer at the Kinshasa/Matete Bar. He explained that online bank card fraud is characterized by the fraudulent use of payment data (card number and expiration date) without the physical card, often through phishing, hacking or fake websites. According to him, the key elements constituting online bank fraud include identity theft, lack of consent from the cardholder and financial damage. He further noted that the material element of the offense lies in the act of fraud itself—namely, the use of banking data (number, expiration date, security code) for unauthorized online purchases through malicious techniques such as impersonation of banking institutions or database hacking. The moral element, he added, is the intent of the offender to unlawfully obtain funds or goods by deceiving the victim or using stolen data, while the legal element consists in the violation of the Digital Code. The Digital Code provides for the repression of cybercrime related to payment cards against any person involved in fraudulent use or acceptance of payments through electronic networks, with the aim of safeguarding the integrity of financial transactions, it was recalled.ACP/