Seven top Nigerian Cyber Criminals were arrested in Ghana following the investigative works of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO).
The Nigerian Cybercriminals were nabbed house at Manhean, Obeyeyie, a suburb of the Greater Accra region where they have been operating. In February 2022, 11 Nigerians were arrested in Ghana for cyber fraud-related crimes.
A statement issued by EOCO on Monday (3 October) said 21 persons believed to be victims of trafficking from Nigeria were also rescued during the swoop.
Cyber security month
The National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2022 took off from 1-31 October 2022 across the country. The month-long event is under the theme, “Regulating Cybersecurity: A Public-Private Sector Collaborative Approach”.
Top Nigerian Cyber Criminals Arrested in Ghana
The news of their arrest was communicated by EOCO via its official Facebook. According to the report published on Monday, October 3, EOCO disclosed that “On 26th September, 2022, the Economic and Organized Crime Office conducted an intelligence-led swoop at a house at Manhean, Obeyeyie in the Greater Accra region.
“At the end of the exercise 28 Nigerians, suspected to be engaged in Prohibited Cyber Activities were taken into custody.”
EOCO indicated that after screening the persons arrested, it emerged that 21 of the persons were determined to be victims of Human Trafficking from Nigeria to Ghana.
“After our initial screening, 21 of the persons were determined to be victims of Human Trafficking from Nigeria to Ghana.
“The seven suspects have since been remanded into lawful custody whilst investigations are ongoing,” the post concluded.
Cybercrime has been on the rise with a lot of foreigners engaged in illegal acts within the territories of Ghana.
Cyber Crime in Nigerian and Ghana
Cybercrime is fast becoming one of the most common crimes in the world today. The internet has made it easy to commit almost any crime from a remote location and with almost complete anonymity.
It’s also given criminals new ways to exploit other people through things like scams, spam, and phishing attacks.
To help you better understand cybercrime in Nigeria and Ghana, we’ve put together this article to highlight some of the key stats about cybercrime and its effect on both countries. Keep reading to learn more.
What is cybercrime?
Cybercrime is any crime that uses a computer or digital network, such as the internet, as an infrastructure for the crime itself, or as a tool to commit the crime.
For example, hacking computers to steal money or data would be considered a cybercrime.
Cybercrime can include various types of offenses, such as computer hacking, data breaches, network security incidents, internet scams and malicious software or viruses.
Cybercrime in Ghana and Nigeria is a growing problem and has left many people fearful of using the internet. Many people are losing money and also having their personal data breached by cybercriminals.
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The impact of cybercrime in Ghana and Nigeria
There are many different statistics that show the impact of cybercrime in Ghana and Nigeria.
These include the number of people who have become victims of cybercrime, the amount of money lost, and the number of people who have been arrested for committing cybercrimes in both countries.
The number of people who have become victims of cybercrime in both countries is very significant. In Ghana, a study showed that about 41% of the population had been victims of cybercrime.
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In Nigeria, the cybercrime victims are about 50 million people. The amount of money lost to cybercrime is also significant.
In Nigeria, it was estimated that between $4 billion and $5 billion was lost to cybercrime in 2017. In Ghana, the amount of money lost to cybercrime was estimated at $2 billion in that same year.
Scams in Ghana and Nigeria
A common way that cybercriminals commit crime in Ghana and Nigeria is through an email scam. These scams usually involve a request to send money or disclose personal information.
Common types of email scams include romance scams, inheritance scams, and investment scams. Romance scams often start with a romantic email or chat that quickly turns into an attempt to obtain money from the victim.
Inheritance scams involve someone claiming that the victim is entitled to money or property. Investment scams involve false promises of high returns.
Fraud in Ghana and Nigeria
Fraud is another common cybercrime in Ghana and Nigeria. It involves deceiving someone into giving you something of value, such as money or personal information, through false representation or false promise.
Examples of common fraud types are false advertising, pyramid schemes, and credit card fraud. False advertising is when someone advertises a product or service as something that it’s not.
This can be done online or in print. Pyramid schemes are a variation of a common scam where people are persuaded to pay money in the hope of getting a large return.
Credit card fraud is when someone steals or uses another person’s credit card without their knowledge or consent.
Vishing (voice phishing) fraud in Ghana and Nigeria
Vishing is another common type of cybercrime in Ghana and Nigeria.
It’s a form of fraud where the attacker tries to get a victim to provide money or personal information by phone.
There are two main types of vishing fraud: App-phishing and call-phishing.
App-phishing takes place when an attacker tries to get a victim to download a bad app.
Once the app is downloaded, it can access the victim’s device and personal information.
Call-phishing is when the attacker tries to get a victim to call their number. Once the victim calls, the attacker can try to get the victim to disclose their information.
Hackers in Ghana and Nigeria
Cybercrime involving hackers is another common type of crime in Ghana and Nigeria.
There are different types of hackers, such as black hat hackers and white hat hackers.
Black hat hackers are cybercriminals who break into computers or networks.
White hat hackers break into computers or networks to find vulnerabilities, such as software bugs and defects in computer code, so they can be fixed.
Cybercriminals are using sophisticated computer software, better known as Artificial Intelligence (AI), to infiltrate computer systems and networks and find ways to steal money and personal information, and to disable those systems or networks.
It is hoped the seven top Nigerian Cyber Criminals Arrested in Ghana will help send a strong signal to like-minded persons and syndicates.