Unsuspecting persons in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis are falling prey to a new modus operandi that has been adopted by tricksters.

Within a week, many persons have been robbed of varying sums of money and other valuable items including mobile phones, jewellery and laptops.

With the new trick, the fraudsters pose as smartly dressed preachers with the Holy Bible in their hands.

They would cunningly approach their victims and request to share the word of God amidst some mysterious revelations about their personal lives and family.

They would later ask the unsuspecting victims to either deposit whatever they are holding with them and buy them some water to quench their thirst.

Others would ask their victims to put their belongings down and close their eyes for prayers but before they say, Jack Robinson, they have vanished with all items.

A 26-year-old victim, a female, tearfully shared her experience on Connect FM’s OMANBAPA morning show with Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson.

“I was returning from a friend’s birthday party in the evening on Friday when I saw this young man in his 20s who requested to share the word of God with me,” she narrated in anonymity.

“He later asked me to buy water for him and on my return, he had vanished with my phone and all the money in a purse I left in my bag with him,” she lamented.

The victim said she eventually had to walk to the house because she had no money on her for transportation.

The victims of the new scam are mostly women who are normally wooed by supposed prophecies about them from these tricksters.