Ghana recorded 1,818 online fraud cases between January and July 2026, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has announced.

According to the CSA, online fraud accounted for 47 per cent of the 3,876 cybersecurity incidents recorded during the period.

“Between January and July 2026, the CSA recorded 1,818 online fraud cases, representing 47% of the total 3,876 cybersecurity incidents reported during the period,” the Authority said.

The CSA Director-General, Divine Selase Agbeti, disclosed this during a speech at the launch of the 2026 National Cyber Security Awareness Month in Accra, where he raised concerns about the growing threat of cyber-enabled crime amid the increasing adoption of digital financial services.

Citing the Bank of Ghana’s 2025 Fraud Report, Mr Agbeti said reported fraud cases across banks, specialised deposit-taking institutions and payment service providers increased from 16,733 in 2024 to 24,778 in 2025, representing a 48 per cent increase.

The Bank of Ghana also reported that GH¢101 million was at risk as a result of the fraud cases.

Mr Agbeti stressed that cybercrime poses a serious threat to public confidence in digital financial services.

He therefore urged financial institutions and other businesses to treat cybersecurity as a board-level responsibility rather than merely an IT or regulatory issue.

He warned that if cybercrime is left unchecked, customers could gradually lose trust in digital financial services.

“Once customers believe that a mobile money wallet can be emptied without recourse, that an online merchant may be fraudulent, that a bank transfer can be diverted, or that personal data can be abused without consequence, confidence erodes.

“Cybersecurity cannot remain a compliance exercise done solely for the regulator or a technology project delegated solely to the IT department. It is a board-level governance obligation and an operational resilience requirement,” the Director-General stressed.

Mr Agbeti also called for stronger security measures, including multi-factor authentication, improved identity management, regular vulnerability assessments and stronger incident-response systems.

He warned that artificial intelligence was also enabling more sophisticated scams involving voice cloning, impersonation and social engineering.

“No institution should wait to become a victim before taking cybersecurity seriously.

“Ghana’s digital finance future will be shaped not only by how quickly we innovate but also by how safely we do so.”

CSA warns public about online restaurant scams

The Cyber Security Authority has also raised an alarm over a rapid rise in online restaurant scam cases recorded during the first half of 2026.

In a public advisory dated July 16, the Authority warned that cybercriminals were creating and, in some cases, altering the contact details of legitimate restaurants and food vendors on Google Search, Google Maps and other online platforms to deceive unsuspecting customers.

“Cybercriminals create and, in some cases, alter the contact details of legitimate restaurants and food vendors on Google Search, Google Maps, and other online platforms to trick unsuspecting customers,” the CSA said.

The Authority said the scams had resulted in significant financial losses for customers and vendors.

According to the CSA, it recorded 112 cases involving vendors and customers between January and June 2026, up from 61 cases recorded during the same period in 2025.

This represents an 84 per cent increase in reported cases.

Financial losses also increased by 250 per cent, rising from GH¢84,592.00 in the first half of 2025 to GH¢296,083.68 during the same period in 2026.

“Between January and June this year, the CSA recorded 112 cases from vendors and customers, up from 61 over the same period last year, with financial losses rising from GHS 84,592.00 to GHS 296,083.68,” the Authority said.

How fraudsters target victims

According to the CSA, fraudsters create or alter the online contact details of legitimate restaurants and food vendors and replace genuine phone numbers with fraudulent ones.

The Authority said some criminals also purchase sponsored search advertisements to make fraudulent contact details appear prominently in search results.

“Fraudsters create or alter the contact details of legitimate restaurants and food vendors on Google Search and Google Maps, typically by abusing the ‘suggest an edit’ feature, claiming ‘unclaimed business profiles’, or creating duplicate fraudulent listings by replacing genuine phone numbers with fake ones,” the CSA said.

The CSA has consequently urged the public to exercise caution when searching for restaurants and food vendors online and to verify contact details before making payments.