Tourists visiting popular attractions are commonly being targeted by groups of young men looking to take advantage of their naive nature to steal money and valuables.
The gangs, nicknamed 'The Streetboys', operate in communities such as Larabanga (the gateway to Mole National Park) where they play 'spot the tourist' so that they can begin their operations into exploiting them in a criminal fashion.
The operations of the gangs include telling tourists they have a place to house them for the night and that they can provide transport for them around the area; while they may sound like a charitable group, The Street boys, in actual fact, are part of a amateur act where they charge huge prices for transport and where valuables are often stole off tourists as they sleep.
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| 'The Streetboys' in action |
We first encountered them in Tamale as we looked to travel to Mole where we would have to stay overnight in Larabanga; originally, with a bed and transport promised, everything seemed to be working out fine. However, as we began the journey to Larabanga, we became increasingly skeptical with their actions. Desperation to get us to stay over the night coupled with one of them changing the details of a previously told story, made us think twice. Eventually, when I spotted one of them had an expensive IPhone that had a case best belonging to a girl, we made the decision to call up a hotel in Larabanga.
When we got there we were glad we did. We spoke to the owner of the Salia Brothers Hotel, Salia Alhassan, who told us of The Street boy's unrighteous actions. Mr Alhassan told us: "We call them 'The Streetboys' as they stand on the street looking for tourists to go and exploit." "They tell lies such as offering free home stay for the night when they are looking to exploit as much as possible." Some of the apparent exploitations include draining tourists of their money by getting them to pay them as tour guides while putting pressure on them to donate to non-existent charities such as water programs and football teams.
However, the actions turn even more devious when we learn of the alleged incidents of thief that have taken place. Reports of phones and money being taken have been commonly reported to the fact that many guide books to Ghana now even issue warnings for would-be travelers. The Street boys come in their numbers too as Mr Alhassan went on to say: "In the area of Larabanga, there are 12-15 of them and they vary between 20-25 years old. They stand waiting for buses either in Tamale or Larabanga looking to exploit tourists. Some of them even claim to be the Salia brothers!" He added: "They operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week."
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| Salia Alhassan |
The Street boys, if you know what you're looking for, are easy to spot - they remain young, enthusiastic, overly friendly people who offer home stay and motorbike/scooter rides around the area you are visiting. Although we encountered them on the way to Mole, it can be said that they operate in various other communities predominantly up north.
In such a case, it is best that tourists know how to act when they are approached by these groups; the best advice we and Mr Alhassan can give, is to book a hotel in advance and ignore all and any other offers from strangers or locals. We certainly didn't regret booking into Salia Brothers Guesthouse as we were treated kindly and educated about the actions of The Street boys. We hope that, with this knowledge being spread, less and less tourists will now fall victim to these immoral gangs.
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