It has emerged that some staff of mobile telecommunication companies are accomplices in mobile money fraud.
Fraudsters arrested by the Cyber Crime Unit often include staff of these telecom companies who illegally infiltrate the database of the companies they work for, and use the information to commit mobile money fraud, the Finder newspaper reports.
These workers, without authorization, access the database of mobile money merchants, where they change the registration details of customers in order to withdraw money from their accounts.
They subsequently reset the number with the money to a new owner in the database, which gives the new owner access to change the PIN and withdraw monies.
They then acquire new SIM cards and use the pins to withdraw monies from merchants.
The Director in charge of the Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Dr. Herbert Gustave Yankson, told The Finder newspaper that even though cases are reported, the Unit is only able to prosecute only 10 per cent of such cases.
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He attributed this to the use of fake identities to register SIM cards.
He expressed worry about the increasing rate at which subscribers of mobile money are being defrauded, and hoped that the issue is curbed as soon as possible.
At least five out of 10 mobile money subscribers have either experienced one form of fraud or have been a target for mobile money fraudsters.
The strategy being used now is to call subscribers and tell them that there is a problem with account and offer to help resolve the problem.