<<Print>>

A trickster behind a �live and work in Canada� advertisement on the internet, who succeeded in defrauding over 25 individuals of over $50,000, has finally been arrested. The suspect, Eric Odoi Yeboah, used the advertisement to lure persons who desired to travel outside the country to part with amounts ranging from $1,700 to $5,000 as visa processing fee and other fees. Eric�s victims included students, teachers, nurses, accounts and marketing officers. A police source told The Finder that Eric, in March this year, created a website on the internet advertising to Ghanaians interested in living and working in Canada to contact him for documentation at his office, Alpha Travels and Tours, in Dansoman. Several people, including 17 students from the Methodist University, expressed interest in the advert. According to the source, Eric demanded various sums of money from those who contacted him as visa fees. He managed to take $1,700 from each of the 17 students from the Methodist University. Eric vacated his office at Dansoman after collecting the money, making it difficult for his victims to contact him. Efforts to reach him on his mobile phone were also futile. One of Eric�s victims, Ahmed Addy, a mechanical engineer, stated that he expressed interest in the advert and traced Eric to his office at Dansoman on March 17, 2012. Ahmed said Eric assured him (victim) of his assistance to secure a Canadian visa and working permit within two months and demanded $5,000. After Ahmed had paid the amount in cash, Eric disappeared. After three months of fruitless search, Ahmed made a report to the police and Eric was subsequently arrested at Odorkor. Once he was arrested, many of Eric�s victims trooped to the Accra Regional Police Headquarters to identify him as the one who had taken various sums of money from them with the pledge of sending them overseas. Two persons, Enoch Yaw Frimpong and Bright Adu, stated that they opted for the United Kingdom and Eric told them that would cost $4,000 each, but they first had to pay GH�500 each as processing fee. Enoch paid GH�250 while Bright paid GH�500. Enoch said on April 4, Eric again asked them to pay GH�1,000 each for airline tickets. He said while he could not immediately pay the amount, Bright paid for his ticket through him (Enoch). In another instance, one Daniel Koma Bearegui said Eric asked him to pay $800 for a British visa when he wanted to travel to London and GH�4,080 for the plane ticket. Several other victims who went to the police station to identify Eric as the one who had taken money from them recounted similar stories.