Ghana lost an estimated $1.3 million to mobile money fraud in the first quarter of 2025, as cybercriminals intensified attacks on the country’s rapidly growing digital payment system, according to the latest INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment Report.
The report identifies Ghana as one of several African countries experiencing a rise in cyber-enabled financial crimes, with fraudsters using a range of deceptive tactics to gain access to mobile money accounts and steal funds.
According to INTERPOL, mobile money fraud has become the most widespread form of cybercrime across the continent, with 97 per cent of countries that participated in its member survey identifying it as a major cybersecurity threat.
The report says criminals commonly use phishing messages, SIM-swap attacks, fake promotions and social engineering techniques to trick victims into revealing sensitive information or granting access to their accounts.
INTERPOL noted that the rapid growth of digital financial services has created more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit weaknesses in mobile payment platforms.
In many cases, fraudsters intercept one-time passwords, hijack user accounts and carry out unauthorised transactions.
The organisation also warned that cybercriminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to make their scams more convincing.
AI-generated messages, voice cloning and other advanced technologies are being deployed to deceive unsuspecting users and increase the success of fraudulent schemes.
To address the growing threat, INTERPOL called for closer collaboration between law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and telecommunications companies to strengthen the fight against cybercrime.
It also urged governments to expand public awareness campaigns and invest in stronger cybersecurity measures to better protect users of digital financial services.
