The Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Alhaji Abu-bakar Saddique Boniface has cautioned all his supporters to be wary of the activities of people who hide behind some fake Facebook accounts to demand money from them.
The Minister of State at the Office of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia gave this caution after the Social media team in the office reported the activities of some unscrupulous individuals who used his image and his name to create a Facebook account.
This fake account is being used to demand money from unsuspecting people who come in contact with it.
According to the Minister, it has come to his notice that the self-styled individuals who claim to be closed to him and visible on Facebook have succeeded in cloning an account purporting to be that of the Minister to dupe unsuspecting people who intend to be listed into the security agencies.
The Minister reiterates that he does not help his followers and take money in return and that anything he does is out of his benevolence to see people in the Zongo areas up their game.
Alhaji Boniface said last year a gentleman walked to his office to report on how one Addo had collected monies from some parents at Akwatia in the Eastern Region using the fake Facebook account.
The Minister has pointed out that since the beginning of his political career, he has never had the course to use the services of a Special Assistant so, anybody dealing with a person purporting to be ‘’ my Special Assistant does not know me’’.
‘’I have never had a Special Assistant and I don’t make use of Special Assistants and I have ways of engaging people to work for me not in the capacity of a Special Assistant,” he insisted.
The victim explained that the monies were given to the said (Addo) to facilitate the enlistment of their wards into the army.
According to the victim (the gentleman), a sum of over GHC7,000 was wired by MTN mobile money into the said Addo’s account for that purpose.
Since others were wired to the self-styled Special Assistant’s account, he has been playing hide and seek with them, he told the Minister.
“These people have deliberately misspelt my name and using my image to dupe unsuspecting people from my Constituency”, Alhaji Boniface maintained.
“The name of the account is Abubakar Saddiq Boniface instead of the correct spelling of Abu-bakar Saddique Boniface”, he pointed out.
The Madina MP added that “I have one Facebook page managed by people I have trusted over the years who dare not use the platform for activities that go contrary to my beliefs as a politician”.
Background
A gentleman by name one Addo has been parading himself as the Special Assistant to the Minister on Facebook.
He claims he manages the account that belongs to the former Minister of Inner-City and Zongo Development and uses to lure his unsuspecting clients.
The matter has since been reported to the cybercrime unit of the National Security but there are indications, he has been operating on the blind side of the security apparatus.
In some instances, he makes demand for monies paid into his Commercial Bank account from the unsuspecting clients for the purchase of some knock –down price motorbikes.
Last year, he managed to lure over 100 innocent persons from across the country under the pretext of securing them enlistment into the army.
He created the impression in the minds of his unsuspecting clients that they were coming to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra for military medicals only for them to be told by officers of the hospital that there is nothing like that going on at the hospital.
It is in view of this that the frustrated victims began calling the Member of Parliament to narrate their ordeal to him.
The said Addo had also succeeded in making one teacher at Akwatia heavily indebted to the community as he went round as lead agent in gathering people to take advantage of the offers supposedly being offered by the Minister through the self –styled personal assistant.
Reports have it that he has been using different names now to lure his unsuspecting clients using the fake Facebook account.
Alhaji Boniface is by this publication alerting the general public that he has no Special Assistant by that name that possesses the following telephone numbers: 0247948820, 0558456461, 0558456479, 0503988709, 0546746150, 0503988711, 0558691212 and 0207469067 among others.
