Top officials of Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) and the Bank of Ghana (BoG), have cautioned social media users in Ghana to be mindful of the activities of cyber fraudsters who ply their trade on the internet through the use of “Loan App” and other internet based applications.
The officials who issued the caution included Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, the Director General of the Cyber Security Authority, COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, the Executive Director of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and the 1st Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Maxwell Opoku – Afari.
They gave the warning today Wednesday 12 July 2023, when they addressed a joint press conference at the offices of the Cyber Security Authority to inform the general public on a recent swoop made on cyber fraudsters in three different locations in the Greater Accra Region which has led to the arrest of 422 suspects.
The three institutions together with other relevant agencies, have constituted a Joint Cyber-Security Committee (JCC) with the aim of investigating complaints on cyber fraudsters in order to arrest them and bring their activities to an end.
Cautious internet use
Executive Director of EOCO, Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, in her brief statement at the press conference, cautioned the general public to note that in spite of the successful apprehension of the huge number of digital fraudsters, there is the need for them to be mindful of many more of such criminal enterprises and elements who may still be preying online for victims.
“Anything that appears to be too good might not be too good so if you are not too sure, ask. If you are not too sure, you can contact any of the law enforcement institutions.
“If you have any doubt, if there is anything that is suspicious, even if you have not lost anything, let any of the law enforcement institutions be aware and we will take it from there” COP Tiwaa Addo-Danquah said.
“It does not matter how small it is, probably, it is something big. Once we get to know, we will investigate that and we will make sure that it is ended so that other people who are very vulnerable will not fall for it” she added.
Arrest made
The EOCO boss also disclosed that during the swoop under focus, a total of four hundred and nineteen (419) Ghanaians, one (1) Chinese, one (1) Indian and one (1) Pakistani, were arrested bring the total number of suspects arrested to 422.
She also disclosed that during the swoop, the task force with the support of the Ghana Police Service, retrieved six hundred and fifty-four (654) mobile phones, twenty-two (22) laptops computers and about eight hundred (800) sim cards.
EOCO, she indicated has commenced analyzing the content of the equipment that has been recovered in order to build a strong case against the suspects for purposes of prosecuting them.
Collaborative effort
Dr Albert Antwi – Boasiako, the Director General of the Cyber Security Authority in his address, noted that the successful arrest of the suspected cyber fraudsters was made possible by the uncompromising commitment of the three institutions and their partner agencies who participated in the exercise.
“Today’s accomplishment is achieved by the collaborative efforts of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC) established pursuant to Section 13 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).
“It is therefore imperative to commend the able leadership of the JCC institutions, namely: the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization; the Ministry of Interior; the Ministry of National Security; the Ministry of Defence; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; the Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney-General; the Ministry of Finance; and the Judicial Service” Antwi – Boasiako said.
“The Government of Ghana through the Cyber Security Authority, and the agencies represented on the Joint Cybersecurity Committee, have a shared responsibility of addressing cybersecurity matters and are committed to fighting cybercrime and maintaining the public safety of citizens online.
“The CSA extends its appreciation to the Bank of Ghana, the Ghana Police Service, the National Communications Authority, and the Economic and Organised Crime Office for their collaboration to deal with cybercrime” the Cyber Security Authority boss added.
Strong sector regulation
In a speech read on his behalf by Dr Joseph France, who is the Director for financial stability at the Bank of Ghana, the 1st Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Maxwell Opoku – Afari, observed that the Bank of Ghana issued two notices on the activities of internet fraudsters.
The first was in October 2022 and the second in June 2023, essentially, alerting the general public about the risk of patronizing credit products of the unlicensed online credit service providers and further warned financial institutions not to provide services to the entities in furtherance of their illegal activities.
“The Bank of Ghana remains resolute in building a robust, resilient and safe digital financial service industry trusted by both local and international stakeholders.
“Together with EOCO, the Cyber Security Authority, the Police Service and all other relevant state actors, the Bank of Ghana is determined to rid the space of all illegal service providers” Dr Opoku – Afari said in his speech read on his behalf.
Content by: Wilberforce Asare
