Lack of cyber security awareness cause of persistent online scams – Minister

Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has blamed the persistent rate of online scams on Ghanaians’ lack of cyber security awareness.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the minister noted that many people, both young and old, have fallen prey to various cybercrimes due to their lack of understanding of the space.

“Our children are being sexually exploited online after being introduced to strangers online…we send and receive friend requests from total strangers whom we don’t know, exposing ourselves to all manner of threats online,” she stated.

She also bemoaned the rate of mobile money fraud noting that most of those cases could have been prevented if the patrons were fully aware of the operations.

She said, “Indeed, for scams involving mobile money fraud, more than 70% of the cases could have been prevented if the patrons of mobile money services we aware of the fraud and risks around these operations”.

The minister also called for serious monitoring of the various social media platforms which she said are being used to spread fake news. She added that most public figures including herself have been impersonated by several Facebook accounts and such accounts keep popping up as fast as they are taken down.

“…there’s ample reason for the persistence of these scams and it’s very simple. Lack of awareness on the cyber risks and trends by majority of our citizens; that is it.”

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful noted that as part of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the ministry of communications will be conducting sensitisation programmes on such matters.

This year’s event also saw the launch of Ghana’s National Cyber Security Awareness Programme dubbed ‘A Safer Digital Ghana” which aims at raising awareness on cybercrimes and cybersecurity issues among children, the public, business and government.