Police Arrest Four Scholarship Scammers in Monrovia

• Liberia National Police arrested four suspects connected to a scholarship scam.
• The suspects allegedly defrauded victims by using the Vice President’s name.
• One victim reportedly lost $1,000 to the fraudulent scholarship offer.
• The suspects, including Obediah Mattar, denied involvement in the scam.
• Increased scrutiny on QNet due to its history of fraudulent activity.

Arrests Made in Monrovia Over Fake Scholarship Offers

Liberia’s national police have taken significant action against scholarship fraud, arresting four suspects in Monrovia, including two women implicated in a scheme allegedly associated with Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung’s name. The arrests occurred on July 15, 2025, at the Zone-3 Police Station situated along Tubman Boulevard in the Congo Town neighborhood of Monrovia. The alleged scammers are accused of offering fake scholarship opportunities, notably for students to study in Canada, and the police investigation suggests that at least one victim has already lost money to this operation, paying a total of $1,000 for a deceitful offer they believed was legitimate.

Suspects Provide Their Accounts of Events

Among the arrested individuals, Obediah Mattar claims he had merely been visiting a friend engaged in network marketing when police apprehended everyone present at the site. He firmly denied any involvement in the scholarship scam and attempts to distance himself from the fraudulent activities cited by law enforcement. Another suspect, who has only been identified as Samuel, is a businessman specializing in health and wireless product marketing and expressed that he visited the office to share business insights with peers, unaware of any wrongdoing particularly associated with the Vice President’s name.

Connection to QNet Raises Concerns

Princess Kolakeh, one of the detainees, recounted her arrest as she was preparing to board a motorbike, insisting that her work is related to health products through network marketing with no ties to any scholarship operation. Similarly, Princess M. Gongloe, another arrested individual, disclosed that she was familiar with a victim by the name of Faith, who had purchased health products, with also no connection to scholarships. Tensions surrounding the investigation have heightened in light of the connection to QNet, an online marketing company that has faced multiple allegations for fraudulent practices across West Africa, raising concerns regarding the legitimacy of such business models.

The recent arrests in Monrovia highlight the ongoing battle against scholarship fraud in Liberia, with individuals allegedly exploiting the Vice President’s name for personal gain. Despite the denials from those arrested, the police focus on the purported scam raises questions about the legitimacy of their operations. As the investigation continues, scrutiny towards QNet and its affiliates will likely intensify, in the context of their past allegations in the region.