7 Ghana scams that are so genius you have to give them credit
Scammers must be smart, judging from their prowess on how and when to strike, luring unsuspecting victims into their trap with so much ease; like a lamb to the slaughterhouse. Some scams in Ghana make you awe at the cleverness of the scammers. More often than not you want to know how these scammers think.
Scams in Ghana have shifted from one on one conman to text messages asking you to deposit some money to redeem a lottery you have won. There area also numerous online scamming activities taking place. The mind of a criminal is intelligent. Not only does it get to bait multiple victims but it also uses unwavering confidence and means you can’t suspect. Here are 7 scams in Ghana:
1. Bank scams in Ghana
Scamming sites are mainly after money and the higher the amount, the better. Where else do we keep our life savings but the bank? Bank scams are done through phishing. This refers to the act of sending fake emails to people posing as employees of very reputable banks that require customers to urgently fill in important information like pins and account numbers. Lots of people fall prey as anything linked to their account is tackled with no second thought. How can you know a spoof account (a fake email or website that replicates a real one) to mark as spam? It’s very easy.
Spoof emails carry some unusual urgency. For instance, an email saying you fill a form providing your bank details for a system upgrade at night is fake. Banks in Ghana are not even operational past 5 in the evening!
Messages carrying links to your bank’s website are a telltale sign of spoof website.
The only effective way to avoiding bank scams in Ghana is not responding to any of these emails immediately. Always confirm with your bank the next day by visiting a branch or calling your regular customer care personnel.
Whoever thought that emails could quickly reach the masses and be fruitful was wise, more than 50% of Ghanaians fall for this scam.
2. Money scams in Ghana
Money, money, money! Scams in Ghana are all about money. The skilled scammers do it in such a way you will never know it was a scam until it’s too late. Money fraud is vast and is mostly done through the following schemes;
Purchase of property and real estate
These are usually good deals in great places. The number of the ‘owner’ is advertised, most times. The unknowing victim calls to discuss business. The ‘owner’ claims to be overseas following up on his other property. You keep talking via email and messenger until it gets to the point of wiring the down payment after which the alleged owner vanishes.
Promise on big profits for business investment
The scammers come up with a project that looks very viable. Convinced investors buy the story and put money into growing the investment. By the time they realize, neither the floater of the idea nor the investment exists.
Money scam in Ghana has almost run out of hand. People can only hold onto one tip; doing money transactions with people they trust.
READ ALSO: Radio Presenter Jailed 4 Years For Internet Scam
3. Military scams in Ghana
Most women are being robbed of hundreds of money by scammers posing to be men in the uniform, deployed to remote areas. The scammers start a relationship over the internet then after a while start soliciting money to pay for a secure line so that you may talk. Other times they claim to have been given a short break and need money to facilitate their travel. The military always has allowances anytime they are in a place they may need money, so the solicitors are a scam. These scammers use pictures of innocent real-time third party soldiers as their profiles to look convincing.
4. Gold scams in Ghana
A very valuable product, gold scams in Accra Ghana are very common. Scam sites contact people via email or text message claiming to be working for a custom company. They then proceed to say that they have gold bars that were caught being unlawfully transported by custom and they want to dispose them at a price lower than the market price. It sounds like a brilliant idea, and most people fall prey. Gold scammers insist on a down payment as ‘demand is very high’. The moment this money is wired, they go off.
The only way to beat this human psychology play is avoiding shortcuts in this trade.
READ ALSO: Top 5 richest scammers in Ghana
5. Love scams in Ghana
Love is a beautiful thing, and everyone seeks and longs to be in love. No wonder romance scams in Ghana are on the rise. Scammers target vulnerable people like the widowed, divorcees, disabled and single parents. ‘Confidence fraud’ is what love scams are jokingly called. A very accurate term, as the person has to build your confidence in them before they can start extorting money from you. Here is the scamming format for dating scams in Ghana.
- A scammer will first ransack the internet for an ideal person, mostly on social sites. They may join a dating site where people are desperate to find love.
- After selecting a profile, they message its owner.
- They focus their conversations on getting to know you well, posing as people of the same economical interests. At the end of the day, you have given a wealth declaration to a con without knowing it.
Scammers are very smart people that will know your weaknesses in a short time. They will fill all the gaps in your love life, and soon you are head over heels for them. This is when they strike.
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How they con you off your money
Now that ‘your love’ is at its peak, this lover who most times resides in a different state is very sick, and they need help with their bill. In serious cases, a fake medical officer calls you and emphasizes on how critical the situation is.
Some scammers pose as students and need money to clear up on school balances and graduation so that they may join you shortly after. The idea sounds good, so you send the money.
Those two are the most common among many others. Scammers are very canny and always find reasons after getting you smitten to their charm. Though there are no specific ways of avoiding love scam, there are a few things you can do to decrease the chances of falling prey. Sampled below are a few of them.
- Avoid sharing too much information on Facebook that could reveal your financial and social status.
- Before you can discuss personal information with people that are interested in you, do some background check.
Where possible find other avenues to find love like hookups from friends. Dating scams in Accra Ghana are on the rise so you need to be on the alert.
6. Visa scams in Ghana
Most times visa scams go hand in hand with romance and dating scams. After being tricked into thinking they have found a life partner from another country, victims are asked for money to process visas so that their lovers may come to Ghana. Most victims are men. The lady (sometimes it’s a fellow man) acts like they are so in love they don’t mind becoming Ghana citizens. The unsuspecting man sends money for the bride-to-be who disappears right after they get the amount they wanted. The scam sites are not run by fools; they know how to buy trust by taking their time before they make any financial requests.
The only other way to match these people’s intelligence is not falling for those online dates.
READ ALSO:7 Ghanaians indicted for online scam, money laundering in US
7. Western Union scams in Ghana
Majority of Ghanaians lack knowledge on how western union functions. They only know that it gets them money from their relatives abroad so when a check is sent to them asking that they evaluate the proficiency of Western Union’s upgraded transfer service they don’t hesitate. It’s only later that they realize it was a fake.
Scammers may also send messages indicating that a package arrived from overseas and needs some money to be paid so it can be released. After the money is deposited these ‘western union officers’ disappear leaving no trace.
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Measures put in place to curb scam in Ghana
There are potential scam sites list for the most notorious fraudulent activities in Ghana has been released to reduce the level of these cyber crimes. It includes;
- Dating sites
- Lottery scams
- Advance payment scams
- Phishing scam
Some of the most common Ghana scammer are known as Sakawa boys who are often seen around spending lots of cash without any explainable sources of income. It is these boys that the public is being warned against since it is believed that they swindle unsuspecting people into sending them a lot of money. It is believed that they will use any means available.
Where to report scams in Ghana has had to be considered due to the fraudulent level in the country. All internet providers have a provision for subscribers to report any cases of scam they meet. The government of Ghana ministry of mining deals with all matters on mineral scams while the ministry of finance tackles all financial scam, especially when it has to do with public offices.
These offices put in place mostly just listen, teach you how to avoid recurrence and warn other people of the ongoing scamming. Scammers are geniuses. If you are to beat them at this game, you have to stay woke.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
