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30.11.2011 General News

Fraudsters get more sophisticated

30.11.2011 LISTEN
By Ghanaian Chronicle

A total of 14,132 fraud cases were recorded within the first three quarters of 2009. This figure reduced to 13,865 cases within the same period in 2010, a decrease of 267 cases over the period.

The figure further reduced from 13,865 in 2010 to 13,570 cases within the same period in 2011, showing a decrease of 295 cases.

'A total of two hundred and fifty-two (252) persons connected with various fraud cases were arrested over the period (January-September)'

At a media briefing on crime situation in the country in Accra yesterday, the Director General of CID, DCOP Prosper Kwame Agblor said that although statistics recorded on fraud cases over the period under consideration shows a downward trend, the fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated in their operations.

He named various types of fraud related crimes in the country. They include Identity theft, Business scam, gold fraud, Internet fraud, and 419-treasure. Others are Black Money aka wash wash, lottery scam, classified advertisement and national tender scam.

According to him, the modus operandi of these fraudsters includes internet related fraud.  In this scam the suspects often hack into victims e-mail accounts, block them and assume ownership of their email and use it to dupe prospective clients.

He said some of the criminals use stolen credit cards to import books and other valuable items, others claim to be the chairmen of the Ministry of Interior tender board to dupe people.

DCOP Ablor told the media that in email identity theft, victims usually respond to strange e-mail messages saying the suspect or the perpetrators will design software which will send scam into the boxes of several people.

According to him, as soon as the victim opens the messages they are made to provide certain basic information and by so doing the software is able to pull out the password.

'The perpetrators quickly change their victims password and immediately send distress messages to all the contacts, indicating that the victim is stranded in a foreign country and needed financial assistance.

'One type of fraud which is presently on the ascendency is the business scam. The victim often receives a foreign phone call, usually with the United Kingdom (UK) code +44, informing him that he was a childhood friend, a relative's friend or old acquaintances who is currently outside.'

He told the media that the victim was usually made to conduct the seller who is a member of the syndicate for a sample to be shown to a Whiteman who claims to have flown down specifically to purchase the products which were allegedly in high demand in Europe. The victim is promised about ten times his investments.

When the sample is shown to the Whiteman, he at times pays for the sample and then convinces the victim to purchase as much quantity as he could.

'As soon as the purchase is made, a message is relayed to members of the syndicate of a successful operation. The Whiteman evacuates the hotel immediately and the contact phones of all members of the syndicate are switched off.'

DCOP Agblor said most of the products used to perpetuate the fraud were not meant for what they claim, adding that some were simply tree barks chopped into pieces, bicycle parts, food spices, ordinary water mixed with colour.

It was also revealed that apart from the Police Stations in the various regions to which fraud cases are reported, specialized units have been created at the CID Headquarters to deal with fraud cases.

These include Property Fraud Unit (PFU), Commercial Crime Unit (CCU), Documentation and Visa Section (DVS) and Vetting and Crime Analysis Unit (VCA).

'If someone (either in Ghana or outside) contacts any member of the public with a business proposal which one is not sure of, he or she should seek expert advice or consult the police for verification.'

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