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President John Dramani Mahama has issued a stern warning to cybercrime perpetrators in Ghana, declaring that those caught engaging in romance scams, mobile money fraud, and other online crimes will be extradited abroad for prosecution and punished under international law.
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 National Cyber Security Awareness Month in Accra on Wednesday, October 1, President Mahama said cybercrime had evolved into a sophisticated threat to Ghana’s national security, economy, and jobs.
He revealed that some fraud cases involved insiders within banks and financial institutions who were sanctioned once exposed.
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“Anybody involved in romance scams, whether you are a foreigner or you are a Ghanaian citizen, we will hand you over to be tried and punished accordingly,” the President stressed.
The warning followed Operation Contender 3.0, an INTERPOL-led crackdown on cybercrime networks across Africa that ran from July 28 to August 11, 2025. The operation resulted in the arrest of 260 suspects in 14 countries, including 68 in Ghana, and the seizure of 835 devices, such as SIM cards, forged documents, and USB drives.
Authorities in Ghana also identified 108 victims, with losses totalling $450,000, while about $70,000 of stolen funds has already been recovered, according to INTERPOL.
Globally, the operation disrupted cybercrime syndicates responsible for an estimated $2.8 million in losses to 1,463 victims, dismantling 81 digital infrastructures in the process.
INTERPOL reported that many of the scams in Ghana were romance-based, with perpetrators creating fake profiles using stolen images and tricking victims into sending money under false courier or customs claims. Others engaged in sextortion, secretly recording explicit video chats and blackmailing victims.
President Mahama emphasised that Ghana’s cooperation with international security agencies would intensify to protect citizens and uphold the country’s reputation in the digital space.
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