Businessman faces court for allegedly defrauding woman, three children in visa deal
Hammond, who operates J’HAMM’s Business Consultancy at James Town, Accra, is accused of collecting the money and four passports in 2022 and disappearing afterward.
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A 48-year-old travel agent, Joseph Hammond, has been arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding a woman and her three children of $15,500 and GH¢204,220 under the guise of securing them Canadian and U.S. visas.
Hammond, who operates J’HAMM’s Business Consultancy at James Town, Accra, is accused of collecting the money and four passports in 2022 and disappearing afterward.
He faces three counts of defrauding by false pretences, forgery of travel documents, and two counts of possessing forged documents. He has pleaded not guilty.
The presiding judge, Mrs. Evelyn Asamoah, granted Hammond bail of GH¢500,000 with four sureties, two of whom must justify with title deeds. The case has been adjourned to December 9, 2025.
Prosecutor Chief Inspector Clemence Takyi, standing in for the substantive prosecutor, told the court that the complainant, Veronica Crentsil, and her children were defrauded after Hammond presented himself as a visa consultant with connections in foreign embassies.
According to the prosecution, Hammond instructed the complainant to deposit the money into a GCB Bank account belonging to his business. After the payments were made, he failed to deliver the visas and subsequently went into hiding.
Police intelligence led to Hammond’s arrest on October 29, 2025, at his hideout in Adedenkpo, near James Town.
During the operation, officers discovered that Hammond had kept a ladder behind his house as an escape route and allegedly attempted to flee upon the police’s arrival.
A search of his residence uncovered nine passports, including those belonging to the complainant and her children.
Investigations further revealed that Hammond had defrauded several other victims, mostly women, using similar visa scams.
The case adds to a rising number of visa and travel fraud incidents in Ghana, where unsuspecting victims are duped through phony consultancy firms promising quick travel arrangements.
Legal analysts note that such cases highlight the need for stricter regulation of private visa agents and public education on verifying travel facilitators through official consular channels.
If convicted, Hammond faces significant prison time under Ghana’s Criminal and Other Offences Act, which treats defrauding by false pretences as a felony offence.
