Ghana, A hub for internet fraudsters?
Abdul Salam Sule, Ghanadot

Accra, March 23, Ghanadot - Ghana is well respected in the eyes of the international community and the world at large, especially when it comes to the practice of democracy. It is seen as a beacon of hope which many African countries with young democracies look up to.

But there is a disturbing issue which has the potential of denting the image of the country and for that matter its citizens and it is the problem of cyber crime.

Statistics indicate that Ghana is ranked 10th in Africa on the growth of internet usage. In the light of this however, Ghana is also ranked 10th in the world as a top internet crime perpetuator. This indeed is very disquieting considering the negative impact it would have on the country.

Investigations conducted by Ghanadot revealed that, across the nation, this level of fraud persisted but two areas stand out conspicuous, namely Sweduro in the Central Region and Accra New Town in the Greater Accra Region.

The Sweduro lads hit it much bigger by robbing the super-rich Europeans and Americans, while their New Town counterparts trail them.

Known at Sweduro as PEN-PAL BOYS, and the Accra New Town as SAKAWA BOYS, the internet fraudsters range from as young as 10 years upwards to an average of 35 years.

The young boys who engaged in this nefarious activities usually pretend to be ladies on the Internet to serve as bait to lure their victims who they referred to as, CLIENTS.

With faulty English and amateurish manner of typing lusty, romantic words, they have so far been able lure their victims into exposing their bank accounts, some accounts of which they have been milk dry.

Ghanadot investigations further unearthed the fact that, one significant thread ran through the operations of these fraudsters. It emerged that, almost all of them said they had spiritual backing which enabled them to entice their victims.

According to them, they have been able with swift alacrity to secure the full names of their victims and their dates of brith, information necessary for spiritual grand master and backer to able to cast spell on the victims.

Some of these fraudsters revealed to Ghanadot reproter that they were willing to exhange their lives for chance to get rich quickly through this scheme.

The SAKAWA or PENPAL BOYS, are noted to spend their illgotten gains at lavish parties and fuenrals with girls of similar shady character.

At Sweduro and Accra New Town, they drive the flashiest 4-wheel drives in town and have become clients of sophisticated car garages dotted around the cities thereby displacing in favor the drug traffickers  who used to be the prefered clients of these garages.

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The widespread of internet fraud can be attributed to multiplicity of factors.

First is the get-rich-quick attitude that has obsessed many of the youth. Secondly, the lack of adequate jobs for the youth has also contributed to this crime.

As the saying goes, the devil finds something for the idle. Thus, some of the boys who have entangled themselves in this criminal and nefarious activity have done so against the backdrop that there are no jobs to employ them and must survive to make ends meet.

Peer pressure is also another factor as many youth who find themselves in this dangerous game are not in by their own volition, but by the pressure exerted on them by friends in the trade.

 
There is no denying the fact that the SAKAWA phenomenon is swiftly catching on with the youth of this country at an alarming rate that should give cause for worry.  Childre who would one day be leaders of the country are being exposed to the crime at an alarming rate.

Speaking on how to combat the internet crime, the Public Relations officer of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Kwasi Ofori, said, since an equally good people are using the internet to access their information, it is very difficult to track these internet fraudsters.

"In this regard, useful information from the general public about people who engage in such acts can be relayed to the law enforcement agencies for prompt action to be taken", he advised.

DSP Kwasi Ofori has also advised owners of the internet cafes to owe it as a duty to ensure that they report people who use their facilities to carry out criminal practices.

"They should bear in mind that ignorance of the law will not become an excuse in the event that criminals are busted in their cafes. They will also be subjected to strict interrogation by the police", he warned.

Ghanadot