The Chief Executive Officer of Slamm Technologies, Samuel Boateng, has said the existence of cyber fraud is one that will be long-lasting.
In this light, he said the only way to prevent its prevalence will be to ensure that the crime is combated and prevented as much as possible through extensive education.
Speaking with journalists on sidelines of Slamm Technologies, ISC2 graduation ceremony of cybersecurity training for participants, Samuel Boateng said the end-user must be taken through the needed education and strategies to evade the menace.
“I believe that MoMo fraud will continue to exist but we need curb it by intensifying education in order to reduce how these bad persons are able to trick unsuspecting victims. For instance, because of technology, these MoMo fraudsters are learning different ways and methods so it is important to educate the masses of these activities,” he stressed.
Samuel Boateng further noted that some fraud incidents occur due to greed and lack of contentment while adding people must be able to identify when they are being told ridiculous stories.
Touching on the growth of cyber security literacy Ghana, Samuel Boateng was optimistic that young people, in particular will continue to be interested in learning the needed skills and knowledge to help them navigate the digital space.
He explained that these skills will further help them understand the implications of human actions, and protect society from increasing cyber threats in a rapid technological world.
Meanwhile, the Cyber Security Authority has said that Ghana recorded a loss of GH¢49.5 million in the first nine months of 2023 due to cyber fraud.
The Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority Dr. Albert Antwi-Bosiako said the cases reported to the Authority were “cyber bullying, online loan apps, shopping frauds, romance fraud, settling impersonation among others.”
According to him, the rate of cyber fraud activities in recent times indicates that there is an urgent need to intensify efforts to combat the act.
He added that the Authority is actively working on implementing a range of regulatory measures aimed at bolstering cybersecurity in the country.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
As part of this year's Cybersecurity Awareness Month of government, Slamm Foundation, the CSR arm of Slamm Technologies in partnership with ISC2 organised a free cybersecurity training for some 200 participants from across the country.
The training falls under the duo's 1 million’ campaign initiative aimed at significantly improving information, communications and technology (ICT) and cybersecurity literacy in Ghana.
The campaign also seeks to equip one million people with introductory IT skills.