Ghanaians lost estimated $1.3million to mobile money fraud in first quarter of 2025 — INTERPOL report

Ghanaians lost an estimated US$1.3 million to mobile money fraud during the first quarter of 2025, according to the INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, highlighting the growing menace of cyber-enabled financial crime in the country.

The report identifies Ghana as one of several African countries experiencing a surge in mobile money fraud, with cybercriminals increasingly exploiting digital payment platforms to defraud unsuspecting users.

According to INTERPOL, mobile money fraud has become the most prevalent form of online scam across the continent, with 97 per cent of countries that participated in its member survey identifying it as a major cybersecurity threat.

The report explains that fraudsters commonly rely on phishing schemes, SIM-swap attacks, fake promotional offers and other social engineering tactics to gain access to victims’ mobile wallets and steal their funds.

“Mobile money fraud has emerged as the most prevalent online scam reported by member countries,” the report stated, noting that the rapid expansion of digital financial services has created new opportunities for cybercriminals.

INTERPOL also highlighted the situation in Kenya, where authorities reportedly uncovered more than 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards in 2025 linked to SIM-swap fraud.

According to the report, criminals continue to exploit vulnerabilities within mobile payment systems to intercept one-time passwords, hijack customer accounts and carry out unauthorised financial transactions.

The international policing organisation further warned that advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are making cyber scams increasingly sophisticated and more difficult to detect.

It said fraudsters are now deploying AI-generated messages, voice cloning technology and other advanced social engineering techniques to trick victims into disclosing confidential financial information or approving fraudulent transactions.

To address the growing threat, INTERPOL called for stronger collaboration among law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and telecommunications companies to disrupt cybercriminal networks.

The report also urged governments to intensify public education on cyber safety and strengthen cybersecurity measures to better protect users of digital financial services from emerging online threats.