The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has cautioned the public, particularly young people seeking employment opportunities abroad, to verify the authenticity of recruitment agencies and job offers before making payments or travelling.
Deputy Commissioner of Immigration (DCOI) Mark Asamoah-Boakye, Aflao Sector Commander, said many victims of human trafficking and related exploitation were lured with promises of lucrative jobs and better living conditions outside the country.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he urged prospective migrants to conduct thorough checks before accepting employment offers or paying money to individuals or organisations claiming to facilitate overseas travel and employment.
Mr Asamoah-Boakye said the Ministry responsible for Employment and Labour Relations had established a portal through which members of the public could verify accredited private employment agencies.
He added that the GIS, through its Migration Management Department and Migration Information Centre, also provided information and guidance to help people verify the authenticity of recruitment agencies and migration-related opportunities.
“Anything that you want to know about a recruitment agency or the genuineness of an offer, you need to validate it before you take a step,” he said.
DCOI Asamoah-Boakye advised parents and young people not to rely solely on information from relatives, friends or acquaintances who claimed to have secured opportunities abroad.
He said immigration officers had encountered cases in which traffickers used deceptive photographs, including artificial intelligence-generated images, to convince victims and their families that people were living comfortably overseas.
According to him, some victims were persuaded to pay huge sums of money after being told that a foreign company would bear part of the cost of their travel arrangements.
He said some recruiters instructed victims to transfer money to local mobile money accounts and later directed them to travel through neighbouring countries, particularly Nigeria, to continue the migration process.
Mr Asamoah-Boakye said such arrangements should serve as warning signs and urged the public to seek clarification before proceeding.
The Sector Commander disclosed that the Aflao Sector Command regularly intercepted persons attempting to cross the border under suspicious circumstances, especially those travelling through Nigeria.
He said some victims had already paid substantial amounts before being intercepted, while others were rescued following interventions by relatives who had themselves fallen victim to trafficking schemes.
DCOI Asamoah-Boakye noted that victims came from diverse professional and educational backgrounds, stressing that education or social status did not necessarily protect individuals from deception.
He encouraged the public to report suspicious recruitment activities to the nearest Immigration office and seek advice whenever they were uncertain about overseas job offers, scholarships or travel opportunities.
“When you see something, say something,” he said.
Mr Asamoah-Boakye said the GIS was strengthening its capacity to detect and combat cyber-enabled migration fraud through planned capacity-building engagements with relevant cybercrime institutions.
He added that the Service was also deepening collaboration with Nigerian authorities to improve reporting, rescue and reintegration mechanisms for victims of trafficking and migration-related fraud.
He disclosed that bilateral engagements between Ghanaian and Nigerian authorities were expected to continue in Ghana in October as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation in tackling the menace.
Mr Mohammed Abbas Abdul Hamid, Volta Youth Chief of the Zongo Communities, said victims who were deceived with promises of better opportunities abroad often faced physical and emotional abuse, extortion, hunger and other forms of hardship.
He said some victims returned home traumatised after losing their money and belongings, while community leaders sometimes had to rely on their own resources to assist stranded persons.
Mr Abdul Hamid recounted an incident in which a person who had allegedly been smuggled into Ghana collapsed and was abandoned by the individual facilitating the journey.
He said the victim received medical attention with support from the Ghana Police Service in Aflao before his family in Benin was traced and arrangements made for his return home.
Mr Abdul Hamid advised young people to be cautious of promises of “greener pastures” abroad and encouraged them to pursue legitimate employment, business and creative opportunities to support themselves.
GNA
