Ghanaians lost almost GH¢300,000 to online restaurant impersonation scams during the first half of 2026, as cyber criminals increasingly targeted customers by taking over business listings on Google.
A new alert from the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) revealed that victims lost GH¢296,083.68 between January and June 2026. This represents more than three times the GH¢84,592 recorded during the same period in 2025.
The number of reported cases also rose significantly, increasing from 61 in the first half of 2025 to 112 this year.
According to the CSA, fraudsters are targeting legitimate restaurants and food vendors by changing their contact details on Google Search, Google Maps and other online platforms.
The Authority said some criminals abuse Google’s “Suggest an edit” feature, while others take control of unverified business profiles or create fake duplicate listings. They then replace the genuine phone numbers with fraudulent ones.
In other cases, scammers pay for sponsored adverts so that the fake contact information appears at the top of online search results.
Customers who unknowingly use these fake numbers place food orders and are directed to make payments through mobile money or fraudulent payment links.
After receiving the money, the fraudsters stop communicating with the customer and never deliver the food.
The CSA also warned that some fake payment platforms are designed to steal victims’ personal and banking details, exposing them to even greater financial losses.
The Authority has advised the public to confirm restaurant contact details through official websites, verified social media accounts or trusted food delivery platforms before placing orders.
It also urged customers never to disclose their mobile money PINs, one-time passwords or banking credentials and to avoid making payments through unfamiliar links.
The CSA further called on restaurants and other online businesses to secure and verify their Google Business Profiles, regularly monitor their online listings for unauthorised changes and clearly display their official contact details to help prevent impersonation scams.
