GH¢19m lost to cybercrime in nine months – Cyber Security Authority

The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) says Ghana has lost more than GH¢19 million to cybercrime between January and September 2025, as online fraud and digital extortion cases continue to rise sharply.

Head of Cyber Security Technology Standards at the CSA, Jake France, disclosed the figures on Monday, October 27, during the International Conference on Information Systems and Emerging Technologies in Accra.

According to him, increased digital access has come with heightened cyber threats, especially in online financial scams.

“Between January and March 2025, CSA recorded 305 cases of online fraud, up from 194 in the same period last year. Financial losses in that span grew from about GH¢2.4 million to GH¢4.4 million,” he said.

He also noted that online blackmail and sexual extortion — known as sextortion — continue to rise, posing serious safety risks particularly to young internet users.

“Losses from online blackmail and sextortion have surged — 155 incidents in the first four months of 2025, with financial damage approaching GH¢500,000, nearly five times the amount recorded in the same period in 2024,” he revealed.

Mr. France said a total of GH¢19,313,000 in financial losses has been documented so far this year — a trend he described as deeply concerning.

He further cautioned that while digital transformation technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, and cloud computing drive innovation, they also expand vulnerabilities that criminals continue to exploit.

The conference, hosted by the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) in partnership with the Namibia University of Science and Technology, was themed: “Emerging Technologies and Industrial Revolution for Sustainable Development.”