Mobile money fraud in Ghana

Fraudulent activities targeting mobile money users in Ghana have drawn significant attention from cybersecurity platforms and telecommunications industry leaders.

Initially, the platform TrustGH identified over 6,000 suspected scam telephone numbers through community reports and intelligence investigations. The analysis revealed that approximately 50% of these numbers were linked to TikTok, with other channels including SMS, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Most schemes utilized social engineering—such as impersonating bank officials or police officers—to attempt to collect Mobile Money payments or gain unauthorized account access. TrustGH began collaborating with the Ghana Police Service and the Cybersecurity Authority to investigate these cases.

Following these findings, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications issued warnings regarding increasingly sophisticated tactics. Industry representatives noted that criminals are employing SIM-swap schemes, phishing, and fraudulent customer-service calls to steal PINs. Fraudsters often impersonate telecom agents by claiming a customer’s line is facing deactivation to pressure victims. The Chamber emphasized that technological safeguards are insufficient alone and called for a partnership between service providers, law enforcement, and the public to combat the rising fraud.