Donate NowHow could a fake embassy go undetected for so long? How did the criminals get hold of real visas? How is it the Accra police force only arrested three people? Who were all these people with $6,000 to spend on visas, and why did they think the U.S. Embassy was located in a decrepit, pink boarding house? For a few weeks, the incredible story of the fake U.S. embassy in Ghana became an international sensation. There was only one problem. As journalist Yepoka Yeebo discovered, none of it was true.
December 21, 2017 | Quartz
Ghana’s Visa Fraud Problem Has Triggered a Rise in Identity Theft
The former head of Ghana’s visa fraud unit tells the story about the time someone tried to rent his passport. He didn’t realize he was witnessing the beginnings of a rise in identity fraud.
November 29, 2017 | Field Notes
How Ghanaian MPs Got Away With Visa Fraud
For a few weeks, the incredible story of the fake US embassy in Ghana became an international sensation. There was only one problem: None of it was true.
November 29, 2017 | The Guardian
The True Story of the Fake U.S. Embassy in Ghana
Last year, the U.S. state department said it had uncovered a fake embassy in Accra that had been issuing a stream of forged visas. The story went viral—but all was not as it seemed.
December 06, 2017 | Meet the Journalist
Meet the Journalist: Yepoka Yeebo
For over a decade, there existed a fake U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana. When the news broke, there were more questions than answers and some officials are convinced it didn't happen.
December 05, 2017 | Newsletter
This Week: The True Story of the Fake U.S. Embassy in Ghana
This week: The story of a fake embassy in Ghana turns out to be—you guessed it—fake, how Sarah Al Suhaimi's meteoric rise through the Saudi business world signals a new era for women, and Poland's contentious debate over abortion rights.