Ghanaian businessman and philanthropist, Hassan Zein, has through his lawyers, exposed some 11 persons who are allegedly using fake social media accounts to impersonate him and members of his family.
His lawyers, in a statement issued to African Entertainment, says his attention has been drawn to several social media accounts/handles (Instagram and Facebook, in particular) using his pictures, pictures of family and the name Hassan Abou, Zein, Hassan Zein, and other similar spellings or pronunciations, and or derivatives, amongst others, to ostensibly portray that those accounts/handles are owned or operated by him.
According to the statement, these accounts have been used to publish several pictures and videos of certain other personalities, indirectly associated with him, thereby making the accounts look genuine.
The statement indicated that “the operators of those accounts then use the accounts for an elaborate scheme to publish palpably false information, defraud investors and other well-meaning personalities, due largely to the trust and confidence they repose in our Client.”
“Our Client has identified certain personalities behind this grand scheme, and has accordingly instructed as to put their identities and other particulars out in the public domain to enable any person who is contacted by any of them to be on guard and possibly report them to the Ghana Police Service for their arrest,” the lawyers observed in the statement.
“The general public is informed that these fraudsters operating these accounts might approach with the intention of making grandeurs/suspicious business deals,” it said.
*Those Allegedly Involved*
According to the statement, those involved include amongst others the following;
• HAIDARA AL MOUSTAPHA CHERIF and popularly known as SULEYMAN or TITA KURKU (holding a passport of the Republic of Mali, with passport number B0442746), but residing in Ghana, Lome, Abidjan, Bamako, Cotonou, Ougadougou, Niamey, and Dakar
• MARYAM SOLIMAN GHAZI IBRAHIM and also known as MARYA BINT ABOU NOORE ( holding a passport of the Republic of Yemen, numbered 03332849), residing at Spintex, Ghana, Mali, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Ivory Coast, Togo and Senegal.
• AHMED AL MOHAMED TURKI, a Syrian national, but holding a Malian passport, is popularly known as ISSA. He is alleged to be living in Bamako, Mali, Lome, Togo, Benin, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Lebanon and Ghana
• SOULEYMANE MOHAMED, popularly called SULEYMAN, holding the passport of the Republic of Niger, with number 00TF86775. His present location is unknown.
• MOHAMED OULD IBRAHIM, also known as OMAR MOHAMOUDOU OR ABOU AMAR KHANNZIIR.
He holds a passport of the Republic of Mali, numbered B0624758, alleged to be living in Mali, Togo, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria and France.
• ROKIA AL MOHAMED GHAZI, also known as ROCKYA GHAZI, or AKAA NOORIYE.
She is believed to be living at Spintex, close to the Palace Mall, Accra, Ghana, Mali, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, and Togo. She is however a national of Yemen.
• WAEL MOHAMED, his real nationality is skeptical, as he claims to be from Tunisia and Libya, depending on the circumstances.
He however uses a passport of the Republic of Mali.
He is believed to be living in Abidjan, Tunisia, Turkey, Burkina Faso and Mali.
• ABDULKARIM AHMAD AL MOHAMAD, affectionately called KARIM NOORE or ABU ABDALAH.
He is a Syrian national but is alleged to be living in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Togo and or Mali
• MARIAM MINT ABDRAHMANE, she is sometimes called AMINA GHAZI AL MOHAMAD, OR AMINA AL REDAE NOORIYE, or INNOSI UM AMAR.
Similar to her colleagues, her present location is skeptical except to state that she lives in Mali, Ghana, Togo, France, Lebanon and Syria
• OULD MOHAMED MAHAMOUD goes by several names.
He is sometimes called AMAR OMAR MHAMOUD, or ABU NOORE. But holds a Malian passport with number B0624759. He is believed to be living in Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Lebanon and Syria
Our Client instructs as to state on record that he does not have a social media account and does not operate one on ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM OF WHATEVER NATURE OR KIND, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
Any social media handle of whatever nature, kind, and in whatever jurisdiction purporting to belong to him or operated by him, using his images and or names (or the combination of the two or similar ones is not associated with him.
“Accordingly, he reiterates that anyone coming across any social media handle using his name or image or the combination of the two should ignore and disregard same.”
“He re-emphasizes that anyone with business dealing with him should contact him directly or his office or his known existing staff for such purposes,” the statement added.
He has instructed as to notify the appropriate owners and or developers of the social media platforms to take steps to pull down any fictitious and or account using his pictures and names with immediate effect, it says.
“We are to inform the various security agencies to take the appropriate steps to apprehend the suspects and bring them to book drastically in accordance with the law and practices of the Republic of Ghana.”
” To this end, he is liaising with other sister security agencies within the various countries that the suspects are alleged to be staying to immediate apprehend them and deal with them appropriately.”
“Our Client states on record that his reputation is immeasurable and will accordingly jealously do whatever is within the framework of the law to appropriately guard same from being criminally dented by unscrupulous persons determined to use his hard earned reputation for their selfish ends,” the statement issued by Justice Abdulai, Esq, says.
