The Jatikay Centre has called for intensified financial investigations, asset recovery and public education to strengthen Ghana’s fight against cyber fraud, stressing that arrests alone cannot effectively address the problem. The centre said law enforcement operations targeting suspected cyber-fraud networks must be complemented by measures to tackle the social attitudes and cultural practices that allow the crime to thrive.
In a statement, the centre praised the Cyber Security Authority, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the National Security Secretariat and their international partners, including the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for recent operations against suspected cyber-fraud networks.
The operation reportedly led to more than 130 arrests or detentions, the seizure of over 300 electronic devices and the identification of nearly US$10 million in losses suffered by 89 victims. However, the centre maintained that cyber fraud had evolved from a law enforcement concern into a broader social problem, partly because some individuals suspected of involvement are admired for their wealth and extravagant lifestyles.
It cited the public display of luxury vehicles, unexplained riches and lavish living by individuals popularly known as “Game Boys” or “Sakawa Boys”, noting that some communities increasingly regard them as celebrities. The centre also referenced studies that associate fraud in Ghana and West Africa with peer pressure, unemployment-related challenges and a growing culture of pursuing wealth through quick and often illicit means.
“We cannot arrest our way out of a culture that society increasingly tolerates,” the statement said. It therefore called for a sustained nationwide campaign to discourage the celebration of unexplained wealth and reinforce the message that cyber fraud is socially unacceptable.
According to the centre, a comprehensive response must go beyond arrests to include successful prosecutions, thorough financial investigations, the recovery of criminal proceeds and continuous public education on cybercrime. Adib Saani of the Jatikay Centre stressed that addressing the social acceptance and glorification of cyber fraud was essential to complement law enforcement efforts and achieve lasting progress in the fight against the crime.
