Mobile money fraud a normal practice in Ghana’s prisons - Ex-convict reveals

Mr. Alhassan Issah an ex-convict who was sentenced to a six-year imprisonment by Agona Swedru District Court for rape and served his term at the Nsawam medium prisons has given a chilly account of how mobile money fraud is perpetrated even in the prisons.

He revealed that prisoners cannot be absolved from some of the cases of mobile money fraud.

According to him, there are people in our prisons who are capable of registering SIM cards in the prisons and perpetrate mobile money scams and that all they need is to get empty SIM cards with android phones.

Late last year, the Ghana Police Service blamed telecommunication service providers over unwarranted registration of SIM card users across the country for their inability to fight the canker that had caught up well with some unscrupulous persons.

In July 2010, the National Communication Authority (NCA) gave to directive all mobile phone operators to register their customers aimed at identifying existing and new subscribers to their respective networks but the exercise has failed to deal with the issue of mobile fraud.

Detailing their modus operandi he disclosed that he will feign as a spiritualist and then call his victim saying “somebody brought you to me to destroy. I almost finished with the process but the spirit has decided to save you instead so you have to buy some items for rituals to free you”

To the surprise of the victim, these criminals will give the full name of his victim confirming his knowledge of the person to make it appear he is genuine and then latch on that to defraud him or her.

He disclosed that in some cases, the fraudsters in an attempt to win the confidence of their victims, propose love to them when they are females.

“There is somebody in prison worth over GHC50, 000 being profit made from mobile money fraud. Meanwhile, some officers are aware of these activities. Some wardens are adding these inmates in carrying out the act.”

Mr. Issah Alhassan disclosed this on Angel Fm on the stations Drive Time Show monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

He also alleged that prison officers are the very persons who go out to claim money made from the fraudulent activities for inmates.

“This is because the prison officer also would have his share of the money made by the inmate”. He indicated explaining that in prison, inmates are not allowed to carry such huge amount of money on them.

“These fraudsters are clever enough to make you believe all they say. There are more people in prisons who were sent there because they have taken loans to pay these inmates and were unable to pay back”

Making further claims on his revelations, Issah disclosed there was one incident where a victim recognized a culprit and boldly came to the prisons to report the case. He, however, commended the Wardens for disciplining the fraudster who duped the woman of GHC 4,000 whiles in prison.