The Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service is of the view that interventions such as training of judges to understand the technicalities involved in Mobile money fraud cases, would help in enhanced prosecution.
According to the Unit, this would help in the fast adjudication of mobile money fraud cases.
The Unit said the challenge of accessing information on cases of Mobile Money fraud has impeded prosecutions.
Only 10 percent of about 300 mobile money fraud cases monthly are investigated and prosecuted in the country, according to Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu Ekuful.
But the Head of the Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Dr. Herbert Gustav, is hopeful that the intervention would minimize the impact.
“When there is any case that is reported to the police, what we have to do is investigate, and the data for mobile money sits with the Telcos, and because of data protection issue, we cannot just go and say give the data to us, so that we can investigate. We need to go to court so they have to appreciate the challenges that we face so that they understand the technicalities involved so that they would be quick to assist us or to issue the orders when we request,” he said.
This year saw a rise in the number of mobile money fraud incidents leading to several Ghanaians being robbed of their funds.
In 2017, an internal inquiry by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) revealed that in some of the cases employees of telecommunications companies were found to be complicit in the act.
Staffs of the telcos were alleged to have been accessing the database of mobile money merchants, and changing the registration details of customers in order to withdraw money from their accounts without authorisation.
Reports indicate that, the staff who collude with criminals, sometimes reset the account containing the money to a new owner in the database, giving them access to the funds.
The Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG) also asked the various telecommunication companies on the mobile money platform to insure them against mishaps.
According to the Executive Members of the Association, the mobile money business is risky hence the need to formulate and implement an insurance policy to cushion merchants.
They noted that the upsurge of armed robbery attacks on merchants had put fear into the majority of their 95,000 members across the country as there was no protection for their lives and operations.
In February, government announced plans to track mobile money transactions in the country to ensure that space is kept secure from the activities of criminals.
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By: Farida Yusif/citinewsroom.com/Ghana