The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, has issued a strong warning to individuals who impersonate public officials to defraud unsuspecting Ghanaians, recounting how a criminal network operating in Accra and the Volta Region was tracked and targeted in a joint operation.
Hon. Sam George said the group included an individual who impersonated him and allegedly collected money from people under the pretext of facilitating recruitment into public institutions.
He made the remarks during a courtesy visit to the Volta Regional Minister, Hon. James Gunu, as part of a two-day working tour of the region to inspect newly completed rural telephony sites and assess the implementation of the One Million Coders Programme (OMCP).
According to the minister, the incident prompted action by the relevant cybersecurity teams, leading to the discovery of a wider network allegedly operating across Accra and the Volta Region.
“I remember very particularly. There was a gentleman who claimed to be me and defrauded people with respect to recruitment and took money from people,” he said.
Sam George, who also heads the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), said the cybersecurity team conducted investigations and worked with the Volta Regional Coordinating Council to pursue members of the alleged criminal network.
“So I tasked the team, and the team at cybersecurity did a solid job. We tracked and discovered it was a very big cell that was operating from Accra and the Volta Region,” he stated.
He added that a joint operation was subsequently carried out, with some suspects picked up in Accra and others in the Volta Region.
“We did a joint operation. The RCC was very cooperative. We picked up some of them in Accra and picked some of the cells here in the Volta Region,” he said.
The minister expressed appreciation to the Volta Regional Minister and the Regional Coordinating Council for their support and cooperation in the fight against cybercrime and mobile money fraud.
Sam George stressed that cybersecurity remains a key priority of his ministry, particularly efforts to protect citizens from fraudulent activities involving mobile money transactions, recruitment scams and the impersonation of public officials.
His two-day visit to the Volta Region will also involve inspections of new rural telephony project sites and engagements with beneficiaries and stakeholders of the One Million Coders Programme.
Among the facilities scheduled for inspection are the Ho CIC One Million Coders Programme Centre in Ho, the new rural telephony site at Akoefe Gadza in the Ho Central area, and the Silverstone Youth ICT Lab, an OMCP centre in the Agortime-Ziope area.
The inspections form part of efforts to assess the progress of digital skills training initiatives and the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure to underserved communities.
The One Million Coders Programme is a government initiative aimed at equipping young people with digital skills to improve their employment prospects and prepare them for opportunities in the digital economy.
The inspection of rural telephony sites is also expected to provide an opportunity to assess the completion and readiness of facilities intended to improve network connectivity in communities with limited telecommunications coverage.
