I was branded ‘greedy MP’ for trying to stop a family from falling for GH¢10,000 US visa scam – Sukparu

Member of Parliament for Sissala West, Mohammed Adams Sukparu

Member of Parliament for Sissala West, Mohammed Adams Sukparu, has recounted how he was branded a “greedy” lawmaker after warning a family in his constituency against sending GH¢10,000 to fraudsters who promised to secure a United States visa for their son.

He said the fraudsters allegedly posed as the young man’s former Senior High School classmate living in the United States and used artificial intelligence-generated images to convince him that he was abroad.

According to the MP, the scammers later promised to facilitate the young man’s travel to the US but demanded GH¢10,000 as a visa processing fee, prompting the family to seek his assistance.

Speaking at the commemoration of the National Cybersecurity Month on Thursday, October 1, Mr Sukparu said he cautioned the family that the offer was fraudulent but was accused of deliberately preventing the young man from getting an opportunity to travel abroad.

“I told the young man that it was a scam. They got angry, and they left my house. I told them never to send a pesewa. They left my house and then told people that they wasted their time voting for me," he said

The MP said the family later approached his mother and accused him of being selfish and unwilling to see other people from the constituency prosper.

He said despite the pressure, he refused to provide the money and continued to warn the family against the alleged scammers.

The family, however, reportedly borrowed money and sent the GH¢10,000 to the fraudsters after being assured that the young man had been scheduled for a visa interview at the US Embassy in Accra.

Mr Sukparu said the young man was instructed not to disclose the arrangement to anyone, including him, because he could allegedly interfere with the visa process.

“They went ahead, borrowed money from people, and then they sent 10,000 Ghana cedis. The guy was told to travel to Accra. They had scheduled an interview date for him to attend an interview at the American Embassy," he noted.

The MP said the family eventually discovered that the telephone numbers provided by the alleged scammers were no longer active.