Fake Money Doubler Jailed Five Years with Hard

Alhassan Sayibu, aged 28 years, a motor fitter from Yendi in northern region, was sentenced to imprisonment for five years with hard labor for defrauding a woman and committing sexual assault in a fake money-doubling scam. These scams are very common in Ghana and have brought destruction to many victims.

The victim, Tabal-Tuo Vida, a hairdresser living in Damongo in the Savannah Region, was led into the trap set by Sayibu after watching his video on Facebook claiming he could "double money." In expectation, Vida reached out to Sayibu after viewing the video. The latter requested that she pay GH₵2,000 for "herbs" to kick-start the said ritual. Later, Sayibu convinced her to go to Yendi, where she was taken to an accomplice posing as a "godfather" who had some magical powers. It turned out to be a nasty twist in the scam because they made Vida pay even more money, reportedly subjugating her to sexual acts in the guise of performing a ritual.

Vida took a sealed parcel from Sayibu back home to Damongo, thinking this contained the money promised her. The only things in it were some lotto papers. Cheated, she went to the police. Sayibu was arrested and put before the Yendi Circuit Court presided over by His Honour Ebenezer Kweku Ansah. He pleaded guilty to both defrauding and assaulting Vida.

In a related case, the same court sentenced a car conductor, Alhassan Osman, to one year for escaping from police custody, meaning indeed the Yendi court is busy tackling some of the criminal activities in this area.

This case acts as a pointer for vigilance as far as fraud matters are concerned and how the authorities must crack down on such people who take advantage of the vulnerabilities of some individuals through deceit and manipulation.