Kafui turned away and hurried back home. Whatever had taken place on that bridge, she wanted nothing to do with it.

TWENTY-FOUR

April 6

Out of Africa

The lucrative African underworld of Internet scammers that brings pain and ruin to well-meaning Westerners

By Casper Guttenberg

Part One

Modern online romance scams are premeditated crimes that steal millions—potentially billions—of dollars from vulnerable people all over the US, Canada, and Europe. Rarely caught or prosecuted, the scammers sit safely at computers in countries like Ghana and Nigeria while hunting for prey on social networks. Their victims are often left financially and psychologically damaged, and are sometimes so embarrassed that they are disinclined to come forward even when they realize they’ve been duped.

Contrary to a prevailing impression, people who fall prey to scams are not poor decision makers or even uneducated or stupid. They may have successful business or professional careers, but, as a University of Exeter study showed, they tend to be unduly open to persuasion by others, whether due to upbringing or life experiences.

G.T., a longtime resident of Washington, DC, (his name is withheld here for security reasons) built an online relationship with someone in Ghana who appeared on a Facebook page as a beautiful Ghanaian woman, “Helena.” Later, “she” would become his confidante and “lover.” The emotional bond established, G.T. did not find requests for money from this person outlandish, suspicious, or unreasonable. Some six weeks ago, G.T. set off for Ghana to meet the new love of his life. When he arrived, he discovered the bitter, cruel truth: this Helena did/does not exist. At last count, he had sent “her” around $4,000 to help her with what emerged to be concocted medical expenses. The elaborate story was that Helena’s “sister” had been involved in a catastrophic vehicle crash that had landed her in a steeply priced Intensive Care Unit. In a country where cash is still king, those costs must be borne fully by the patient and the family. That part was certainly true.

Unlike most scam victims whose connection to the scammer generally does not proceed beyond the online space, G.T. took the step to meet Helena in person. Of note, G.T., a widower who lost his decades-long Ghanaian wife to ovarian cancer years ago, had been to Ghana before more than once, the first time being a Peace Corps mission in the 1980s.

G.T. therefore had a feel for Ghana that few Westerners do, and now that he was in the country, G.T. was afforded the rare, potential opportunity to confront those who had conned him. Not the kind of person to take abuse lying down, G.T. has remained in the country to investigate his own victimization.

Derek’s frown grew deeper as he read this online article, which included several stock photos of the “poverty-stricken” Ghana in contrast to the “wealthy less-than-one-percent.” He was baffled. From his perspective, the piece was out of left field. It was plainly the story of his father’s experience, but who had made the decision to publish it in the Washington Observer, and why hadn’t Derek known about it beforehand? Neither Gordon nor Cas had mentioned it before. Although initially opposed, Derek had come to accept his father’s rationale for staying in Ghana. Through March, Gordon had sent emails and text messages to keep Derek informed: Dad had moved out of Kempinski hotel to a bed-and-breakfast, he’d rented a vehicle with a driver who was taking him around Accra and the usual touristy places. All that was fine, but now, what in fuck’s name did “G.T. has remained in the country to investigate his own victimization” mean?