Three QNet scammers have been jailed in Ghana, after a gruesome ruse to con family members out of money came undone.
Etornam Dzenu, Stephen Sovor, Justice Noamesi and Isabella Bekinane are all QNet promoters in Ghana.
As reported by News Ghana. quoting Public Prosecutors;
About eight months ago, Isabella left Accra to stay at Adweso in Koforidua in search of a job.
There Isabella met and started dating Dzenu, who introduced her to QNet.
Isabella got into Q-Net Limited as a network marketer where she become friends with Dzenu, Sovor and Noamesi.
QNet is a pyramid scheme. Once recruited, participants have to pay up to remain in the scam. This is how QNet promoters earn money.
Soon Isabella found herself out of funds.
Isabella wanted capital to partner in the network marketing business and she came up with a plan to fake and stage her kidnapping to obtain money from her father.
Isabella later informed Dzenu about it. Dzenu also informed the Sovor and Noamesi to assist Isabella to achieve her goal.
All the accused persons came together with a plan for Isabella to inform her parents that she was going to Accra.
On July 4th Isabella called her sister to tell her she was going to Accra to “look for a job to earn some money”. Isabella then turned her phone off.
Her sister attempted to contact her throughout the week, unsuccessfully.
On July 11th, Isabella gave her phone to Noamesi, who contacted Isabella’s family with the kidnapping ruse.
Noamesi used Isabella’s phone to call her sister to inform her that “they are kidnappers and they have kidnapped Isabella and that the family should send a ransom of GHS8,000 to Isabella’s Momo account and they are giving the family 48 hours.
GHS 8000 is currently ~$920 USD.
After making contact, Isabella’s phone was again turned off.
On July 12th Isabella’s sister and brother filed a complaint with the Missing Persons Unit.
Prosecution said the following day, Dzenu used Isabella’s phone to send an SMS message to Eunice to remind her that “their time is limited” adding that if after 48 hours, they do not hear from the family, they will cut off Isabella’s arms.
Isabella’s sister requested a photo of her, as evidence she was still alive.
Dzenu, Sovor and Noamesi sent Isabella to an uncompleted school building, tied her up and Dzenu took a picture of Isabella with handwritten dated (July 13, 2022).
The Picture of Isabella was sent by Dzenu through Isabella’s WhatsApp line as requested.
Knowing that Isabella was in a relationship with Dzenu, her sister called him seeking information.
He informed (her) that Isabella told him that she was going to Accra and that he had not heard from her since she left.
Following an investigation and attempt to locate Isabella, police eventually tracked her down to Stephen Sovor’s home on July 18th.
During interrogation, accused persons told the Police about the various roles they played.
The four accused were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretenses.
All four suspect pled guilty. Dzenu, Sovor and Noamesi were each sentenced to 48 months in prison earlier this week.
Isabella’s sentencing has been deferred pending a pregnancy test. It is unclear whether Dzenu is the father.
Between fake kidnappings like this, real kidnappings of recruited hostages and immigration fraud, QNet promotion in Ghana has been problematic for years.
Attempts by local authorities to get QNet banned nationwide are believed to have been prevented by government officials.
In March 2021 Joe Tackie, Chief Director of the Ministry of Business Development, stated it was ‘glad to have QNET in Ghana for the long haul.’
For their part, QNet turns a blind eye to fraud in Ghana. Executives aren’t concerned as long as money flows into the company.