- Online scams soar to 113% as fraudsters target Easter shoppers
Ghana’s accelerating digital economy is facing a renewed test of resilience after the Cyber Security Authority reported a sharp rise in online fraud cases ahead of the Easter festive season.
Between January and March 2026, the Authority recorded 720 cases of online scams, representing a 113% increase compared to the same period in 2025. The surge underscores how periods of heightened commercial activity, particularly around festive spending, are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminal networks exploiting gaps in digital literacy, platform regulation and payment security.
The pattern is clear: as digital transactions scale, so too does cyber risk. Ghana’s rapid adoption of mobile money, social commerce and online marketplaces has created new channels for economic participation but also expanded the attack surface for fraud. The Easter period, characterised by increased online shopping, travel bookings and promotional offers, provides fertile ground for scams built around urgency and discounted deals.
The Authority identifies three dominant fraud vectors: fake online shops offering heavily discounted goods, impersonation of legitimate brands and businesses, and phishing schemes designed to harvest personal or financial data.
In many cases, victims are directed to make payments via mobile money wallets, often under pressure to secure limited-time offers, only for the seller to disappear once funds are transferred.
More concerning is the increasing sophistication of fraud tactics. Scammers are now exploiting search engine optimisation and digital listing platforms to impersonate credible businesses, diverting legitimate customer enquiries to fraudulent channels. Fake listings on mapping services and cloned social media profiles are making it harder for consumers to distinguish between genuine merchants and criminal actors.
Phishing attacks are also evolving, with messages disguised as promotional offers or even personal interactions, embedding malicious links that either extract sensitive data or install harmful software. The result is a growing trust deficit within Ghana’s digital marketplace.
The spike in fraud cases highlights structural weaknesses in consumer protection frameworks. Unlike traditional commerce, where transactions are often traceable and regulated, digital transactions, particularly those routed through peer-to-peer mobile money channels, remain difficult to reverse once completed.
The Authority has urged consumers to prioritise verified platforms, confirm business credentials through official channels, and avoid making payments before delivery. It also emphasised the need to safeguard sensitive information such as Ghana Card details, bank credentials and one-time passwords.
For Ghana’s fintech and e-commerce sectors, the rise in scams presents a dual challenge. On one hand, digital platforms continue to drive financial inclusion and economic activity. On the other, persistent fraud risks could undermine user confidence, slow adoption and trigger calls for tighter regulatory oversight.
The issue is particularly relevant for mobile money operators, whose platforms have become the primary conduit for digital payments. Without stronger safeguards such as enhanced transaction verification, escrow systems or merchant authentication layers fraud exposure is likely to remain elevated.
The Cyber Security Authority has activated its 24-hour incident response channels, allowing the public to report suspected fraud cases via hotline, WhatsApp and email.
