Ghanaians Lost $1.3 Million to Mobile Money Fraud in Just Three Months, INTERPOL Discloses

• Ghanaians lost an estimated USD 1.3 million to mobile money fraud in early 2025
• INTERPOL's new report found that 55 per cent of cybercrime cases in Africa involved AI
• Cybercrime losses across Africa more than doubled in 2025, reaching USD 484 million

Ghanaians lost an estimated USD 1.3 million to mobile money fraud within just the first three months of 2025, according to INTERPOL's newly released African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026.

The report, compiled from intelligence gathered across 36 African member countries, warns that scammers across the continent are increasingly relying on phishing, SIM-swap attacks, fake promotions, and even AI-generated messages and voice cloning to steal money from unsuspecting victims.

It forms part of a wider continental picture in which cybercrime has evolved from isolated incidents into what INTERPOL describes as an industrialised, borderless ecosystem.

The financial toll has intensified dramatically, with reported cybercrime-related losses across Africa more than doubling between 2024 and 2025, rising from USD 192 million to USD 484 million.

Read also

Ghana to begin ban on import of used vehicles over 10 years from October 1

Online scams, including the kind of mobile money fraud recorded in Ghana, remain the most frequently reported cybercrime type on the continent.

INTERPOL links AI to cybercrime surge

The report's central finding is the scale to which artificial intelligence now powers criminal activity across the continent.

According to INTERPOL, 55 per cent of cybercrime cases reported in Africa in 2025 involved AI in some capacity, a dramatic increase that reflects a fundamental shift in criminal methodology.

Cybercriminals are now using AI to automate phishing campaigns, generate convincing deepfakes for identity fraud, and create synthetic identities that combine real personal data with fabricated elements to bypass biometric and KYC checks.

An X post in which Interpol announces the release of their report is seen below.

Scam centres spread across the continent

Beyond individual scams, the report also points to a growing network of organised criminal infrastructure. INTERPOL found that 72 per cent of surveyed African countries reported the presence of scam centres, with the highest concentration in Southern and West Africa.

Read also

Ghana High Commissioner to UK Sabah Zita Benson details ‘reckless’ £37 million scholarship spending

Financial services, telecommunications, and government institutions were identified as the sectors hardest hit by cybercriminal activity, given their central role in the digital economy.

INTERPOL deletes Ofori-Atta's Red Notice

According to an earlier report by YEN.com.gh, INTERPOL permanently deleted the Red Notice issued against former Ghanaian Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

The deletion followed findings that the notice had a political character and did not meet INTERPOL's own rules governing such alerts.

Ofori-Atta remains sought by Ghanaian authorities despite the development, and he is currently in the United States receiving medical care.

Source: YEN.com.gh