The Police Service has recorded a worryingly increasing number of advertisements to lure people into dubious activities that are claimed to generate riches overnight.
These charlatanic activities are assuming serious security implications for our society as a whole. The activities often begin with misleading advertisements on some mainstream and social media platforms to lure unsuspecting members of the public, including children, and deceive them into engaging in dubious acts, hoping to get rich overnight.
Charlatanic advertisements and crime
Police investigations have recently shown that the upsurge in such activities has contributed to serious crimes such as defrauding by false pretences, kidnapping, and even murder.
Some recent notorious cases, attributable to this phenomenon include the Mankessim murder case, where the suspects under the pretext of sending their victims abroad, murdered them for ritual money and the Kasoa case where two teenage boys murdered their colleague also for ritual money.
It is essential to remind the public that charlatanic advertisements are not just unethical but criminal and punishable under the laws of Ghana.
We, therefore, urge operators of electronic communication networks, and providers of electronic communications and broadcasting services to rise to their responsibilities and not to allow their platforms to be used in the promotion or advertising of such activities.