Three young men from Assin Breku have been convicted by the Assin Fosu District Court for defrauding a 26-year-old trader of GH¢38,450 in a deceptive electronic money transaction.
The convicts, 24-year-old footballers Francis Appiah and Emmanuel Oteng, alias Flow Delli, and 21-year-old Emmanuel Antwi, were ordered to refund the entire amount to the victim after being found guilty of the offence.
The court, presided over by His Worship Abdul Majid Iliasu, considered the fact that the three were first-time offenders but warned them that any return to criminal activity could result in imprisonment.
The case stemmed from an incident on July 21, 2026, when Appiah allegedly contacted the trader, Shalean Stella Bamfo, and falsely claimed that he had mistakenly transferred money to her.
According to the prosecution, Appiah engaged the victim in a prolonged conversation before directing her to a nearby mobile money merchant under the pretext of resolving the supposed erroneous transaction.
The trader was subsequently deceived into transferring GH¢38,450 through e-cash to three MTN numbers registered in the names of Saar Hassana, Rebecca Bosiako Antwi and Sarah Gyeti Arthur.
Investigations later revealed that the money had not been mistakenly sent to the complainant. Instead, it was allegedly part of a scheme designed to convince her to transfer her own funds.
The prosecution told the court that Appiah subsequently transferred GH¢6,290 to Antwi as his share of the proceeds.
Ms Bamfo realised she had been defrauded after the transaction and reported the matter to the Central North Regional Police Cybercrime Unit.
Police investigations, supported by information obtained from telecommunications companies, intelligence gathering and a court order, led to the arrest of the three suspects at a hideout in Assin Breku.
One of the accused also admitted his involvement in the fraud in a caution statement.
Following their conviction, the three men refunded the full GH¢38,450 to the complainant.
In sentencing the convicts, the judge urged them to abandon fraudulent activities and seek legitimate means of earning a living.
He warned that although the court had taken their status as first-time offenders into consideration, they could face imprisonment if they were arrested again for engaging in criminal activities.
The court further commended the Central North Regional Police Cybercrime Unit for its role in tracing the suspects and combating cyber-related offences in the region.
This angle makes the fraudulent trick used to make the victim send her own money, rather than simply the conviction, the central hook.
