GHANA—A fake U.S. Embassy was discovered in the capital city of Accra. It was issuing illegally obtained authentic visas for the past decade. The fake embassy was operating in a dilapidated pink two-storey building with a corrugated iron roof, along with the U.S. Flag outside and a portrait of President Barack Obama inside.
The fake embassy was said to be operated by both Ghanian and Turkish organized crime rings, along with a Ghanian lawyer practicing immigration and criminal law. Turkish citizens who can speak English and Dutch posed as consular officers. Investigations revealed that the crime ring charges $6000 for illegally obtained U.S. Visas, identification documents and birth certificates. Authorities managed to confiscate authentic and counterfeit Indian, South African, and Schengen Zone visas as well as 150 passports from 10 different countries along with a laptop and smart phones. The real U.S. Embassy in Ghana is a prominent building located in Cantonments, one of Accra’s high-end communities.
Vocabulary:
authentic- [adjective] real
dilapidated- [adjective] shabby; in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect
corrugated- [adjective] ruffled; wrinkled
confiscate- [verb] surrendered as a penalty
counterfeit- [adjective] not genuine
True or False:
- The fake U.S. Embassy is operating for the past 10 years.
- A Ghanian lawyer practicing immigration and criminal law is involved with the fake embassy.
- Turkish citizens who can speak English and Spanish posed as consular officers.
- The confiscated items are the following: authentic and counterfeit Indian, South African and Schengen Zone passports as well as 150 visas from 10 different countries along with a laptop and smart phones.
- The real U.S. Embassy is located in Cantonments.
Defend your argument:
- Do you think visa applicants should be more careful when transacting in embassies? Why or why not?
- Do you think that the efforts of the real embassies are enough to keep people away from fake embassies? Why or why not?
- Do you think people should resort to do something illegal? Why or why not?
- Do you agree that conquering crime is everyone’s business? Why or why not?
- Do you agree with the quote, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”? Why or why not?
Express your opinion:
- Who do you think should be held liable with the existence of the fake embassy for a decade? Why?
- What do you think will happen to those people who obtained their documents through this fake embassy?
- In your opinion, how did the fake embassy manage to exist in a decade?