Ghana: a rising star in internet fraud
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Source: Public Agenda Ghana / September 14th, 2007
About 40% of internet Fraudsters apprehended in the country between 2005 and 2006 are Ghanaians with ages ranging between 12 and 45, the Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service has said. Nigerians, Liberians and other nationals make up the remaining 60% and the number of Ghanaians involved is rising sharply as the number of internet users increase in the country. A total of 401,300 internet subscribers was recorded between 2000 and early 2007, representing a 1237.7% increase over the period. But of the 135 internet Service Providers believed to be operating in the country, only 18 are said to be officially recognized, an indication that a chunk of service providers exist and operate illegally. |
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Head of Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Vance Baba Gariba told Public Agenda while the police service is on top of crime in the country, the lack of cyber laws is hampering efforts at arresting the situation. According to him, organising swoops on perpetrators or ordering Internet Cafes not to operate 24hrs can only be done when there is a comprehensive law in place.
Supt. Gariba therefore believes there is an urgent need for passage into law the Computer Crime Bill which is currently before cabinet as well as the Money Laundry Bill which if passed would regulate the amount of money transferable from one end to the other.
Another issue of critical concern is how abreast law makers and interpreters are to the sophistry of the computer in order to ensure that those who are arrested are not acquitted in court on the basis of lack of evidence.
The crime takes many forms. They include -Sakawa- which involves shopping online with stolen credit cards and Love Scams or Control where unsuspecting love seekers are duped of huge sums of money.
According to a website myzongo.com, The U.S. embassy in Accra , Ghana, reports receiving up to 15 calls a week from Americans who have lost money on relationship scams originating in Ghana. Other challenges the police encounter include the issue of confidentiality which makes it difficult for the privacy of an individual to be invaded in the name of investigations and the fact that some of the fraudsters operate from the comfort of their homes and offices.
Apart from the Police, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Ministry of National Security and the Serious Fraud Office are all concerned with the menace of cyber fraud. But Supt. Gariba believes the best mechanism would be to have what he terms one stop center where all internet related crimes could be handled. You cannot have scattered capacity, he added.
Supt. Gariba says the Internet Service Providers, The Financial and non-financial institutions that offer Western Union Money Transfer Services and the Courier Companies all have a duty to do due diligence on those patronizing their services. To this end he says a stakeholder conference between the security agencies and the above institutions is neccessary.
He equally called on the media to educate the public on the ills of cyber fraud and let the fraudsters know that they would be dealt with when caught.
While Internet fraud is on the increase in Africa and Asia in particular, it is said to have gone down considerably in the United States since operation cyber sweep in 2005, which clamped down on perpetrators of the crime in that country.
Author: By Bashiru Adam - Public Agenda, Accra / Ghana
Supt. Gariba therefore believes there is an urgent need for passage into law the Computer Crime Bill which is currently before cabinet as well as the Money Laundry Bill which if passed would regulate the amount of money transferable from one end to the other.
Another issue of critical concern is how abreast law makers and interpreters are to the sophistry of the computer in order to ensure that those who are arrested are not acquitted in court on the basis of lack of evidence.
The crime takes many forms. They include -Sakawa- which involves shopping online with stolen credit cards and Love Scams or Control where unsuspecting love seekers are duped of huge sums of money.
According to a website myzongo.com, The U.S. embassy in Accra , Ghana, reports receiving up to 15 calls a week from Americans who have lost money on relationship scams originating in Ghana. Other challenges the police encounter include the issue of confidentiality which makes it difficult for the privacy of an individual to be invaded in the name of investigations and the fact that some of the fraudsters operate from the comfort of their homes and offices.
Apart from the Police, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Ministry of National Security and the Serious Fraud Office are all concerned with the menace of cyber fraud. But Supt. Gariba believes the best mechanism would be to have what he terms one stop center where all internet related crimes could be handled. You cannot have scattered capacity, he added.
Supt. Gariba says the Internet Service Providers, The Financial and non-financial institutions that offer Western Union Money Transfer Services and the Courier Companies all have a duty to do due diligence on those patronizing their services. To this end he says a stakeholder conference between the security agencies and the above institutions is neccessary.
He equally called on the media to educate the public on the ills of cyber fraud and let the fraudsters know that they would be dealt with when caught.
While Internet fraud is on the increase in Africa and Asia in particular, it is said to have gone down considerably in the United States since operation cyber sweep in 2005, which clamped down on perpetrators of the crime in that country.
Author: By Bashiru Adam - Public Agenda, Accra / Ghana