The Ghana Police Service has charged providers and operators of electronic communication networks as well as broadcasting services not to allow their platforms to be used in the promotion of charlatanic advertisements.
These charlatanic advertisements, according to the Police, are not just unethical but criminal and punishable under the laws of Ghana.
“These charlatanic activities are assuming serious security implications for our society as a whole. The activities which often begin with misleading advertisements on some mainstream and social media platforms lure unsuspecting members of the public, including children, and deceive them into engaging in dubious acts, in the hope of getting rich overnight.”
In a statement, the service bemoaned it has recorded a worryingly increasing number of advertisements aimed at luring people into dubious activities that are claimed to generate riches overnight.
“Police investigations have recently shown that the upsurge in such activities has contributed to serious crimes such as defrauding by false pretenses, kidnapping, and even murder.
“Some recent notorious cases, attributable to the phenomenon include the Mankesim 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,” portions of the statement read.
The Police have, therefore, intensified its enforcement efforts nationwide alongside education of all relevant stakeholders on the position of the law on the matter.
Also, the public have been cautioned to be wary of charlatanic advertisements in both mainstream and social media and work together with the Police to ensure the safety and security of all persons as they work to maintain law and order.