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Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has issued a stern warning to online fraudsters who rip people off their hard-earned money that his ministry, in collaboration with law enforcement authorities, is keenly monitoring their activities.
The minister cautioned these unscrupulous individuals that they will not be deported but jailed here in Ghana when finally arrested.
Delivering the keynote address today at the media launch of the 2025 Cybersecurity Awareness Month inside the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) conference room in Accra, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Constituency, noted that online scammers, internet fraudsters, con artists, and romance scam ring leaders will soon be brought to book.
Sam George emphasised the support of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in cracking down on these illegal activities. He shared:
Earlier, between May and July this year, other joint exercises with the CID resulted in the arrest of 65 suspects, including 49 foreign nationals, many of whom were trafficked and later involved in sophisticated online fraud schemes.
He further stressed that criminals will not be tolerated in the country, adding that suspects will not only be deported but also prosecuted and jailed in Ghana. The minister cautioned:
On this note, let me sound yet again another warning. It looks like today I’m sounding warnings and caution. That’s necessary because of the growing trend of cybercrime. Those exploiting foreign nationals in Ghana to perpetrate cyber-fraud, we’re on your trail. We’ll find you and we’ll bring you to justice.
Dignitaries at the media launch of Cybersecurity Awareness Month
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I trust COP Lydia Yaako [Donkor] to make sure that we don’t just deport you, we’ll jail you. Because we’ll not make Ghana a haven for trafficking people to be engaged in cybercrime.
The 2025 Cybersecurity Awareness Month is on the theme “Building a safe, informed, and accountable digital space.”
On his part, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) Director-General, Divine Selase Agbeti, bemoaned the increasing cases of cyberfraud in Ghana. He revealed that there have been 2,008 reported cases of cyberfraud already this year. A figure that is more than the reported 1,317 cases in 2024.
He urged everyone to report cases of cybersecurity by calling 292.
CID Director General COP Lydia Donkor called for collaboration between stakeholders in tackling these issues.
GIPC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Simon Madjie, in his opening remarks, disclosed that the global cost of cybercrime is projected to reach around $10.5 trillion annually by this year and beyond.
Dignitaries at the media launch of Cybersecurity Awareness Month
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This projection, he stated, was equivalent to % 9.1% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). Cybercrime losses in Africa exceeded $3 billion between 2019 and 2024, with criminals chiefly targeting these sectors: finance, healthcare, energy, and government, per data from cybersecurity ventures.
To tackle this, the Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Ghana, Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann, advocated for academia to train more professionals to address this alarming loss.
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Dr Elsie Effah Kaufmann
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Speaking to Pulse Ghana after the launch, rapper Edem, who’s the brand ambassador for the Cyber Security Authority's Safer Digital Ghana Campaign, urged Ghanaians to look out for a series of interesting activities in October.