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Is Ghana as bad as its reputation for scams?
The short answer is: Yes! A closer look, especially after some experience and time in Accra, the nation's capital, clearly reveals the fact that not all citizens of Ghana are bad people. In fact, it's largely the contrary. Where poverty runs deep, as it does in Ghana and Nigeria, however, the attraction to easy money has caught the attention of many, and scam operations are growing faster and more out of control than any time in history.
Are there any beautiful, white and English speaking women in Ghana? The answer to this question is: Not many. Scammers in Ghana have learned from their neighbors in Nigeria, the founder of the imfamous 419 scam. These days, scammers are increasing their level of sophistication and it no longer takes a "fool" to be a victim of scam. Ghana fraud rings invest careful time with their victims, setting up a relationship of trust, confidence and if possible, love. Once the romance is established, the scammer makes his move. This is typically in the form of an emergency, help with a visa, a large inheritance and legal problem, etc.
Is it possible to have a real, honest and lasting relationship with someone in Ghana? Yes, it is possible. Are there foreigners living and working in Ghana who speak English? Yes, of course. Does the level of fraud and professional scams being operated from that country warrant the need for a ghana background check to verify any relationship in Ghana? Yes, absolutely! It's the only way.
The moral of the story is, no matter what the circumstances, no matter where the person was met, either on the Internet or in person, if the individual is from or currently living in Ghana, due to the extreme level of scam activity in that country, we strongly advise a background check, of which Wymoo offers the most comprehensive West Africa investigators in the region. And lastly, never send money to any individual overseas who is not known in person or who has not been verified via a professional.
Be safe and best of luck,
A. Hathaway
Copyright © 2005-2007 A. Hathaway
Ghana, West Africa: The Fraud Zone
By A. Hathaway, VP Global Investigation Services
7/19/2007
4 comments
advance fee fraud, africa, background checks, ghana, ghana fraud, ghana scams, internet scams, nigeria, online dating, relationship scams, wymoo, wymoo international
Posts
I wish I had seen this before I got involved with who I thought was an American from NY working in Ghana. He ran into one problem after another. Everything seemed ligitiment. I was sure this was for real and found out too late. I was too easily swayed into helping someone in need.
ReplyDeleteNow that I have broke it off with him, I have the Serious Fraud Office calling me......I don't even know if they are for real but regardless I don't give any information to anyone now.
But I definitely want to get my story out so others don't get duped like I did.
MAK
It is amazing how good and honest hard-working people are being taken advantaged of after thinking they have met someone nice on an internet dating site. Too bad that I didn't know about the dating scams. I met someone claiming to be a gold merchant from Illionois. After a couple of weeks he left to go to Belgium. Then he went to Ghana for a gold mining venture. Though his story seemed convincing, I looked him up. The info he gave me checked out. After the flowers, candies and jewelry gifts, came the problems. From needed equipment he couldn't find to needed money for his hotel bills. I confronted him with the discrepencies in his stories and he always had a reason. So I started looking up dating scams and found a lot of useful information. As a result I don't take any calls from him or those related to him in his business venture.
ReplyDeleteDo not trust anyone you have not met personally. Do not fall for the deceptive charms. Don't fall for the hard luck story. If it seems too good to be true, it is.
He knew I was kind and he preyed on that.
If you are not sure; have one red flag unanswered to your satifaction with real facts that are proven.....WALK AWAY. no explanation needed.
KC
I went on this dating site and met a wonderful woman, so I thought, she was from Florida, and soon the story came how she had been abused and then moved home to Ghana to her family and had to abandon her teaching career. We emailed and chatted, even talked on the phone. Within 8 days all sorts of problems began to happen, her dad had died in the states, then her uncle in Ghana, and then her internet was to be cut off, mounting bills ect. She then asked me to send money, cc#'s and even to buy her a cell phone, as soon as she thought that I was some how in love with her,I would catch her in several lies, so easy to expose, as all really was to be too good to be true. I would bait her and wow talk about greed. Its really not hard to figure them out if they are false, but I must admit they are pretty clever and very tatical, and could easily defraud someone who was lonley and or vulderable, my advice is go real slow and never give them credit info or send any money ever, then spend a few hundred on a private security checks you will not be sorry if you still believe these con artists. I am not cynical and still am persuing a match however I am using reputable site like e harmony or match dot com and have a P.I. firm ( a few hundred dollars will be well spent) when at my disposal, don't give up as people in Ghana are real too. If you get cuaght up dont be afraid to accuse them to there face and STOP ALL CONTACT this is the only right thing to do to help yourself and never feel doubtful or guilty for this. Come away a better person, good luck in your future matches to all. I remebered one my techers of life once said to me " That all is fair in love and war " a good rule to follow when doubt begins.
ReplyDeleteJJ
I was scammed by someone in Lagos, Nigeria once he got me to fall in love with him and he also knew I was a Christian, and he came up with scriptural facts that he was a christian as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd that he would never hurt me. But he did, because he told me one thing after another and I finally said to him, that I had already sent him a small amount of money to help tie him over until his cheque from the Oil Company had cleared. But, he said to get out of Nigeria he would require a difference of funds for the change of his flight back to USA to Australia, I foolishly sent him a couple of hundred Dollars to help, via Western Union as requested via a friend, and once he received it he sent me an email, thanking me then, he rang me to say he had been attacked at Lagos airport and that the $$$ had been stolen, could I re-imburse him, I told him No! as I had not enough Funds to do this. He got very irate and kept saying "Now I know that you don't love me, because you don't want to help me." After a while of these manipulative stories, I could stand no more and told him, if he could not find his own way, to get here, then we may as well call it quits. He kept telling me he loved me, but, that I was selfish and did not want to help him, I eventually stopped all communications and now try to warn other, if you are looking for Love, go about it cautiously,. BJ