Arrests alone will not end Ghana’s cyber-fraud problem – Adib Saani

The Jatikay Centre has called for stronger action beyond arrests to tackle cyber fraud in Ghana, warning that the crime has become a social problem that some communities appear to tolerate.

The centre said the recent operations against suspected cyber-fraud networks were commendable but stressed that law enforcement alone would not end the problem.

In a statement signed by Adib Saani of the Jatikay Centre, the organisation praised the Cyber Security Authority, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the National Security Secretariat and their international partners, including the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for their efforts.

The statement cited a recent operation that reportedly led to more than 130 people being arrested or detained, over 300 electronic devices seized and nearly US$10 million in identified losses involving 89 victims.

However, the centre said cyber fraud had grown beyond a law-enforcement issue, with some people involved in the crime gaining social recognition for their wealth and lifestyles.

“In Ghana, cyber fraud has increasingly developed into a social subculture. So-called ‘Game Boys’ or ‘Sakawa Boys’ openly display unexplained wealth, expensive cars and lavish lifestyles, and in some communities are celebrated almost like celebrities,” the statement said.

The centre also pointed to peer influence, unemployment pressures and the desire to get rich quickly as factors linked to fraud in Ghana and other parts of West Africa.

It argued that efforts to fight cyber fraud must address the social attitudes that encourage young people to engage in the crime.

“We cannot arrest our way out of a culture that society increasingly tolerates,” the statement added.

The Jatikay Centre called for more financial investigations, the recovery of proceeds from crime and the prosecution of suspected offenders.

It also urged authorities to step up cybercrime education and launch a sustained national campaign to discourage the celebration of unexplained wealth and make cyber fraud socially unacceptable.