A woman has reportedly lost GH¢6,700 to an alleged mobile money fraudster who deceived her with a fake cash prize. According to her, she received a
A woman has reportedly lost GH¢6,700 to an alleged mobile money fraudster who deceived her with a fake cash prize.
According to her, she received a call from a person who claimed she had won a huge sum of money. The caller allegedly told her she had to make an upfront payment before she could receive the prize.
Believing the promise, she reportedly went to a Mobile Money vendor as instructed and deposited GH¢6,700 into a mobile money account the alleged fraudster had given her. The offer turned out to be fake.
Her experience is a familiar one. INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 says Ghanaians lost an estimated US$1.3 million to mobile money fraud in a single quarter, and that the scam is the most widespread online fraud across the continent.
The report lists fake promotional offers, phishing and SIM-swap attacks among the common tactics.
Fraud examiners have also noted that fake lotteries and giveaways are designed to attract victims.
Police have long cautioned the public against such schemes.
They have advised people not to engage fraudsters in phone conversations and never to share their mobile money PIN with anyone.
“A genuine promotion does not ask winners to pay a fee before they can collect a prize, so any such request should be treated as a warning sign”, one MOMO agent advised.
Anyone who has been targeted should stop communicating with the caller, avoid sending any more money, and report the number to their mobile money provider and the Police as soon as possible.
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