Don't Be Afraid of Fraudsters in Ghana

I always find it funny - for lack of a better word - how historically the American media has depicted Africans as being primitive or intellectually inferior, yet now, in the information age, some Americans     are so intimidated by African fraudsters that some don’t trust any netizen from the Motherland.  I’ll admit that the fraud situation is a lot worse in Ghana than it was a generation ago.  But to help put things in perspective, look at it like this.  In the U.S., disenfranchised and disillusioned youth tend to get into drug dealing in the name of generating income.  But in this part of the world, those same type of people take up fraud, most often via the internet.

I was inspired to write this post by a Ghanaian friend who recently told me he came across a video whereas an African-American couple, apparently with their children, decided to move to Ghana, got beat in the head by fraudsters and responded by damning the entire country.  I get it.  When people get defrauded, they tend to get angry at an entire group rather than the individual culprits.  But let me state for the record that most Ghanaians are not fraudsters and indeed far from it.  As someone from a richer part of the world, if you see how hard some people in this country work just for a little bit of dough, it’s unbelievable.  Being someone thoroughly experienced in the system, I don’t need a history book to tell me that domestic slavery once prevailed in Ghana.

But it isn’t a situation whereas, if your heart is telling you to come to Ghana, that fraudsters should deter you from doing so.  For the most part, they can be avoided using common sense and by exercising control over your emotions.

THE AFRICAN ADVANTAGE

Africans have been around longer than any other group or race.  To me, that implies that they understand human nature more than anyone else.

Ghanaians are naturally friendly and accommodating.  That’s one of the things I love most about this country.  They aren't rude and confrontational, like Americans.

Also, this is the tropics.  Ghana in its entirety isn’t what you would call a tropical paradise, but many parts of the country are.  And as a foreigner, those are the localities you’re most likely to be exposed to.

There’s nothing wrong with chillin’ in Ghana.  From a tourism perspective, the chill factor is one the country’s biggest draws.  But then, when it comes to investing and stuff like that, a more sober mind is in order.  Put more bluntly, you don’t want to be thinking like a tourist when making a business decision.  It isn't ideal to commit to an investment while being caught up in the excitement of the moment.

Often, when outsiders asking me for investment advice in Ghana, my response is that they should come over here, spend some time and see what type of business venture speaks to their heart.  You know, if the basics - like agriculture, gold and real estate - don't appeal to them.  With an ample amount of dollars, you can get into virtually any business in Ghana.  But ultimately, if you’re a humbler investor, the difference between success or failure of the enterprise may simply be how committed you are to it.

But, I digress.  The main point being made here is that if something sounds fishy, it probably is.  Or let’s say, going back to this concept of common sense, that before making business transactions, particularly larger ones, verification is a prerequisite.  If you can’t verify that a business is legit or that the person running it has integrity, then it’s probably best not to get involved.

In terms of verifying its legitimacy, yes, you can go the government.  But all because a business is registered doesn’t make it legit, nor does lack of registration mean illegitimacy.  So another method is communicator with other people, besides the owner or salesman, who may be familiar with the business entity and can verify its standing.  In places like Ghana, where a lot of things are done informally, street knowledge is often preferable to formal knowledge.

So the inferred message here is that it’s good to have more than one contact.  This goes back to the whole getting-caught-up-in-your-emotions’ type of scenarios.  You have this one person telling you ‘come, come, come’, 'do it, do it, do it'.  But if things don’t’ work out with that individual, or if you start suspecting that something isn’t right, then who are you going to turn to?  Saying 'no, I'm not going to deal with Ghana at all' because of one incident with a fraudster(s) is not rational thinking.

TRY TO MAKE RICH CONTACTS

Ghanaians aren’t racist, but they are classist.  There isn’t a lot of income-based residential segregation in this country.  But at the same time, it’s not necessarily common that you see the rich socially mingling with the poor.

One good thing about being an American or Westerner in Ghana, whether you’re materialistic or not, is that status affords you access to certain social circles.  Upper-class Ghanaians may have negative perceptions of their poorer countrymen, but they don’t tend to feel that way about outsiders, particularly from the West.  It isn’t only about Western culture being idolized but also access to Western currencies, which are worth a lot in Ghana.

As a visitor, temporary or otherwise, you’re not likely to spend all of your time around rich Ghanaians.  That’s not what most of us come over here for, and that aspect of the society may not even intrigue you at first.  What's rich by conventional Ghanaian standards may not be so in some other parts of the world.

But within the context of this post, the reason I’m recommending rich Ghanaian friends is because they’re less likely to defraud you.  Most people who are out here who engage in fraud are just trying to make ends meet, not living the big life.

I’m not advocating classism, d*ckriding or anything like that.  It always disturbs me when I come across a diasporan in Ghana with their nose up in the air.  Some visitors let the higher social/monetary status get to their heads.

FOLLOW PROTOCOL

Of all the suggestions on this list, this may be the most important.  It’s sorta common to hear of Americans getting caught up in real estate-related scams in Ghana.  This includes one case that recently made the news whereas even a Ghanaian-American got tricked out of a significant amount of money by some fake business, complete with a fictional office and everything.

Meanwhile, when it comes to buying land for example, there are recommended protocols to be followed.  Some of these steps entail getting independent professionals or the government involved, not just blindly trusting the people you're doing business with.

The government of Ghana has this sorta international reputation of being corrupt.  But in recent times that situation has improved significantly, with the current President being dedicated to enforcing ethical conduct in public institutions.   And at the end of the day, if you are defrauded, 99% of the time your main recourse would be getting the police involved.  The Ghana Police Service may have its own issues.  But for the most part it is dedicated to upholding the law and isn't particularly fond of fraudsters.

I remember a few years back, this diasporan I knew was telling me how some guy she had working around the house stole valuables, including money, from her home.  Upon getting the police involved, she was convinced that they were in on it, i.e. the perpetrator giving them a cut so that he wouldn’t get in trouble.  And there was really nothing else she could do besides develop a mistrust of Ghanaians.

This lady wasn’t particularly likeable.  So she made two mistakes.  One was letting the wrong person into her home.  Second was, excuse me to say, being a basic bitch.  We all have our bad days, and living in Ghana can be frustrating.  But it isn’t wise, as an outsider, to get into beef with the natives or have them dislike you.

Don’t get so caught up in the moment that you forsake common sense or fail to follow protocol.  A lot of things in Ghana are done informally, so you have to be wise - and peaceful - from the get-go.  You can’t always rely on a paper trial or being aggressive vindicating you.

Sometimes a person may not even set out to gyp you at first.  But there’s this prevailing belief (amongst the fraudster community) that the West is in debt to Africa, which is kinda true, and that people from abroad can absorb being cheated,.

Meanwhile you - as a Westerner, expatriate or other type of visitor - are over here with no ill will, perhaps even as a philanthropist.  But the system is so f*cked up that some people can’t or don’t care to make that distinction, between a humanitarian and a soulless businessman, when it comes to outsiders.  Meanwhile, most of those who visit Ghana probably fall more into the former category. The only instance where it may be excusable not to follow protocol is if you’re dealing with someone you really, really trust.

OVERCOME NATURALISTIC FALLACY

When it comes to the likes of African-Americans, our perception of Africa tends to be based on two things - the mainstream Western media and naturalistic fallacy.  The former tends to present the Motherland in an unfairly negative or primitive light, while the latter portrays traditional African culture as being unrealistically positive.  Sometimes, as in the case of those Black Panther movies, those two standards collide.  But at the end of the day, both are fallacies.

Going back to that African-American couple my friend was talking about, one thing he pointed out, concerning their story, is how they came over here under a naturalistic fallacy spell.  The media won't say it like, rather portraying that as trustful or naive.  But the reason their guard is down like that was likely influenced by naturalistic fallacy.

In Africa, extended family ties here are indeed stronger.  But at the same time, it ain’t all sweet like that across the board.  One of the main reasons family bonds are stronger here is due to economic concerns, i.e. patriarchy.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR LOVED ONES

You don’t have to be in Africa to be scammed by an African.  In fact, the most-widespread form of fraud that targets foreigners is remote and tends to be romance-based.

Romance fraud is a complex field with a number of variables that contribute to its ubiquity.  Even though Africans have become scapegoats, they aren’t the only ones, by far, who do it.  There’s just as much, if not more catfishing and stuff like that going on stateside.  The difference though is that no conventional fraudster from the U.S. is likely to target Africa because, relatively speaking, the money out there is worthless.

The most common trait amongst victims of romance fraud is such individuals being isolated or otherwise lonely.  It's a sad situation, these time we live in.  But it can be mitigated by paying more attention to those around you who may be suffering from loneliness or isolation.  Widespread international romance fraud is made viable by flaws in Western society, not Africa.  Instead of beating up on immigrants, Trump should be starting companion-based social networks for seniors.

Sometimes, it may not be catfishing but rather a person being genuinely smitten by someone they met on the web, someone who, unlike them, is more interested in profiting materially from the relationship than romantically.  In these instance, my recommendation is to keep things in practical perspective.  The main benefit to having a higher economic standing is being able to afford what you want. 

Sometimes you have foreigners, even elderly ones, coming over for romantic or sexual reasons.  Those kinds of feelings are something that most of us can’t avoid.  In such cases, you just hope they don't get in over their heads or that the other party is honest.

DO CHARITY

Charity is a form of investment with a number of benefits, even outside of the spiritual realm.  There are people here in Ghana who just a small amount of foreign money can change their lives.  They could use those funds a lot more constructively than a Westerner.

There are various types of organizations that assist the less fortunate and take donations accordingly, with my personal favorites being orphanages.  A lot of people who run NGOs are doing so primarily for their own benefit.  Some don’t have the true heart of humanitarianism.  But even if only a little bit trickles down, children are a lot less-expensive to help than adults.  And charity can also be in the form of volunteering.  Coming over as a volunteer is one of the better ways to get experience in Ghana.

If you have the heart, there’s also direct charity, i.e. giving money or items to people that you randomly come across, some of whom may be visibly in need.  For instance, I remember a few years back spending the night at Tema Station, a major transportation hub in Accra.  And there were like hundreds, if not thousands homeless people out there, most of whom were women and children, sleeping in the open air, with virtually no shelter.

I don’t know if Tema Station is still like that, but there a lack of Ghanaians you can help, without using an organization as an intimidating.  Even if the amount provided isn’t life changing, it can make a difference.  Sometimes people just need to make it through the day or be reminded that the whole world isn’t cold.  And again, unlike investing in a  conventional business ventures, there are spiritual benefits.

CONCLUSION

No one likes to be defrauded, and the internet, even from day one, was such you have to be alert to know who you're dealing with. Meanwhile, logic also dictates that you have to be mindful of the people you meet face-to-face.

If anyone out there is thinking of visiting or expatriating to Ghana, you can contact me for advice or assistance.  But at end of the day, the purpose of this post is not to market myself. 

The ubiquity of fraudsters in Ghana may feel maddening, but it isn’t such that it should deter anyone with the ambition of coming over, even permanently, from doing so.  This country is not like the United States, where common thieves are violent.  Here, the battle is more intellectual.  So if you practice common sense, follow protocol and remain mindful of what brought you to the Motherland, you should be able to effectively avoid the likes of fraudsters.