NIGERIAN ARRESTED FOR INTERNENT FRAUD (Page 31)

28/6/09

Story: Mary Mensah
A 30-year-old Nigerian who placed an advert on the Internet claiming he has been tasked by Emirates Shipping Line of Dubai to recruit people to work on a vessel, has been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
The suspect, James Arday Harrison, was arrested in Tema where he had gone to collect $150 processing fee from a security man who applied for a position on the vessel.
According to Supt Yaa Tiwaa, Head of the Commercial Crime Unit of the CID, the victim, a security man at the Kotoka International Airport, was browsing the net when he came across a website named Emirates Group Carriers.com.
She said on the website was an advert placed by Quick International Shipping Line with a business address stated as Forest Road Feltham Middlesex TW13 7DY, United Kingdom.
The advert stated that a tourist passenger ship by name MV Freedom of the Sea, which operates around Europe and Africa, had docked in Togo's sea port and harbour to recruit people for a monthly basic salary of $1,500.
There were several positions but the victim applied for a deck officer by filling an online application form that had been provided by the company.
According to Supt Tiwaa a week after his application, he received a mail that he had been appointed and that his appointment would take effect from July 1, 2009.
Consequently he was directed to travel to Togo and pay a processing fee of $150.
While he was preparing to travel to Togo for the payment of the money, he had a call from the suspect, who claimed that a lot of applications came from Ghana so the managers of Quick International Shipping Line would be in Tema to process the Ghanaian applicants and, therefore, there was no need for him to travel to Togo.
Two days later he met with the suspects and two others but after paying the $150 to them, they asked him to look for people who wanted to stow away.
They promised to pay him on commission basis depending on the number of people he would be able to recruit to sign onto the stowaway business.
The victim later narrated the incident to his brother, who told him that he believed the deal was fraudulent so he should go to Togo and verify whether a ship had docked there recruiting people.
Supt Tiwaa said the victim travelled to the Togo sea port to verify the claim, which turned out to be a hoax.
He, therefore, returned to Accra and reported the incident to the police.
He was advised to feign more interest in the deal and on June 19, 2009 ASP Ebenezer Nketiah led a team of personnel to Tema where the victim had arranged to meet the suspects with more people.
Two of the suspects managed to escape but James was arrested and he is currently assisting the police in their investigations after which he will be put before court.