The Western Region Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS)has arrested a 53-year-old Ghanaian residing in Takoradi, one Kojo Sakyi, for allegedly defrauding scores of unsuspecting youth under the pretext of securing them jobs within the Service.

According to a statement signed by the Western Region Public Affairs Officer for GIS, Assistant Inspector Moses Manford Akakpo, the suspect was arrested in Takoradi on Monday, May 25 by a team of officers drawn from the Intelligence and the Enforcement Units of the Command when he was attempting to defraud another unsuspecting victim.

“The officers had to trail the suspect for three consecutive days, before finally arresting him at AGIP, near the Takoradi Jubilee Park. The suspect had lured one of the victims to the said location, with the intention of taking a sum of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢5000.00) from him to seal the deal. This was after the victim, had forwarded his Certificates and other relevant documents demanded, to his WhatsApp number (MTN-0540520459).

“And because the officers had put the suspect under close surveillance, they were able to move in on him, (1215HRS) when he had just received the money and was about to bolt with it,” the statement continued.

It disclosed that in his caution statement, the suspect admitted to the offence to defrauding a number of unsuspecting youth.

“Further investigations have proven that Mr. Kojo Sakyi has a standard fees/charges for each category of ‘prospective officers’; Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢5000.00) for Cadets Officers and Three Thousand Five Hundred Cedis (GH¢ 3500.00) for Recruits Officers”.

The suspect has since been referred to GIS National Headquarters for further investigation and prosecution.

The statement cautioned that the Service is currently not recruiting. For that matter all such social media platforms/publications should be disregarded and treated with the contempt it deserves.

The Service has the following as its traditional media through which advertisement for recruitments are communicated to the general public: News Papers and its website (www.gis.gov.gh).

“The command is by this release reechoing for the information of the general public that GIS does not have assigned agents, social media platforms or mobile money accounts through which such recruitments are made,” it alerted the general public.

It encouraged the general public to continually be on the lookout for such criminal elements “within our society and report their conduct to the appropriate quarters (GIS/POLICE) for immediate arrest and prosecution”.

The statement further urged all those who may have received such recruitment messages or fallen victims already to such unscrupulous schemes to assist with “investigations by providing credible information to our offices dotted across the country”.