Over 700 fake social media accounts, 1,300 scam phone numbers shut down – Minister

Minister of Communications, Sam George, has revealed that more than 700 fake social media accounts and 1,380 fraudulent mobile numbers have been neutralized as part of intensified efforts to combat cybercrime in Ghana.

Addressing Parliament on October 30, 2025, the Minister described the surge in cyber fraud as alarming and said the government was taking proactive steps to counter the growing threat.

“It’s a non-deniable fact that cybercrime and cyber fraud issues are on the rise in recent times due to the increasingly sophisticated approaches used by cybercriminals and fraudsters,” he told lawmakers.

According to him, between January and September 2025 alone, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) recorded 14,425 reported cases of cybercrime. He said the government, through the CSA, had adopted “a multifaceted approach” that included strengthened collaboration with law enforcement agencies, regulatory enforcement, and expanded public education campaigns.

Sam George disclosed that international partnerships had been instrumental in several high-profile arrests.

“The Authority closely collaborates with Interpol, the FBI, the UK’s National Cyber Crime Agency, the Africa Forum of Computer Emergency Response Teams, and the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams,” he said. These engagements, he added, have provided critical threat intelligence and response support.

He cited recent operations that led to major arrests, including a June 2025 crackdown in collaboration with the CID that netted 65 suspects, among them 49 foreign nationals, involved in sophisticated online fraud schemes. In August, another coordinated operation led to the arrest of 39 individuals across the Greater Accra Region.

The Minister said the CSA’s direct collaboration with social media platforms such as Meta and ByteDance has resulted in the takedown of 203 fraudulent websites and 738 impersonation accounts targeting Members of Parliament, government officials, and other high-profile persons.

“Those accounts have been completely neutralized,” he confirmed.

He also noted that partnerships with telecom companies had resulted in the blocking of 1,380 phone numbers used in scam operations.

Beyond enforcement, Sam George emphasized public awareness as key to Ghana’s digital safety strategy. “Since January 2025, the CSA has issued 11 public alerts and four technical alerts to educate the public on trending cyber fraud incidents,” he said.

He announced that the ministry, with World Bank support, had launched the “Safer Digital Ghana” campaign and reached more than 58,000 children through child online protection programs. The Cybersecurity Act, he added, is also under review to strengthen the legal framework for tackling digital fraud.

“We have received over 600 memoranda from the public, and next year, we hope to lay the amendments before Parliament,” Sam George said. “Our goal is to deal with cyber fraud in a responsible and responsive manner.”