The Tema Regional Police Commander has cautioned the public against a new fraud syndicate operating along the lines of the “419” scam and believed to be operating from Kumasi and its environs.

Inspector Yaw Nketia –Yeboah, Regional Police PRO, briefing the GHANAIAN TIMES, said that a member would call his victim by telephone and introduce himself as a friend of the victim’s relative living abroad.

The caller would mention the name of the victim’s relative and claim that he was calling on behalf of the relative.

The caller would inform the victim that his relative has shipped a car or cars in the victim’s name through the Tema port, and then request the victim to contact a clearing agent (whose name and address would be provided) for assistance in clearing the vehicle.

In order that the deal would appear genuine, the caller would advise his victim to call his relative on a given phone number for confirmation and further instructions.

According to the PRO, the foreign number if called, would be picked up by another member of the syndicate who would sound like the victim’s relative but speaking with a sense of urgency.

The supposed relative would confirm that the vehicle(s) were at the Tema port and instruct the victim to deal with the clearing agent and pay him any monies that were necessary to facilitate the clearing.

The supposed “clearing agent” after collecting the money would lead the victim to the CEPS Longroom at Tema where he would abandon the victim and disappear.

The PRO advised that anyone who received such calls should contact his office or the Railways Police at Tema Harbour before entering into any financial commitments.