Ghanaians are losing huge sums of monies due to impersonation and internet fraud - Kintampo North MP

The Member of Parliament for Kintampo North, Joseph Kumah, has sounded an alarm over the escalating trend of internet fraud in the country.

He stated that significant amounts of monies are being lost by Ghanaians who fall victim to this type of fraud, often through impersonation tactics.

In an interview, the MP revealed that individuals are being defrauded daily through the wrongful use of the identities of MPs and other politicians.

He emphasized the need for urgent measures to curb this menace and safeguard the nation.

He stated, "There is a surge in fraudsters duping the youth of Ghana and people of all walks of life through social media identity theft and impersonation. In Kintampo North alone, no fewer than 10 to 15 people have been defrauded in the name of the MP via Facebook. Identity fraud is now reaching alarming levels and poses a national security problem. We must address it as a national issue. We are losing valuable human resources and capital to the wrong individuals, amounting to millions of cedis. We need to rescue these people."

Cyber fraud has become one of the challenges facing the country for years now.

In 2023, Ghana recorded GH¢49.5 million direct financial losses through cyber fraud activities between January and June, Director-General of Cyber Security Authority, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, revealed.

The figure constituted only a fraction of cases reported to state agencies, while financial losses of unreported cases could exceed the amount reported so far.

Ghana started the National Cybersecurity Awareness in 2017 with the establishment of the National Cyber Security Week, which subsequently evolved into a month-long event under the auspices of the then National Cyber Security Secretariat.

According to the Groupe Special Mobile Association (GSMA) Mobile Connectivity Index (MCI) 2023 report, Ghana is ranked 4th in Africa with a score of 51.4% depicting significant progress in connectivity over the past five years.

In the same report, Ghana had a score of 86.69% in Online Security (a key dimension of the index), consistent with the country’s score on the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI).

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