Authorities said a former employee at a bank’s Connecticut call center admits he stole nearly $60,000 after convincing customers to give him their account passwords.

Moustufa Zineddin, of Stratford, was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree larceny. The 22-year-old could serve nine more years if he violates terms of his probation.

Zineddin was arrested after more than a dozen People’s United Bank customers, many of them elderly, reported that money had been taken from their accounts after they contacted the call center in spring 2010.

The investigation found Zineddin had convinced them to disclose their passwords, then had issued new ATM cards on their accounts and withdrew more than $59,300.

Officials said Zineddin has repaid $30,000 and has agreed to repay the rest. (AP)