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Joseph Kwame Kumah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kintampo North Constituency, is grumbling about the rise in cybercrime.
The MP laments that despite police attempts to crack down on fraudulent operations, some of his constituents have been victims of impersonation, among other crimes.
Mr. Joseph Kwame Kumah warns parents and youths, particularly those without jobs, to exercise extreme caution in who they engage with when they need help finding a job, especially on Facebook.
“There is a surge in fraudsters duping the youth of Ghana and people of all walks of life through social media identity theft and impersonation. In Kintampo North alone, no fewer than 10 to 15 people have been defrauded in the name of the MP via Facebook. Identity fraud is now reaching alarming levels and poses a national security problem. We must address it as a national issue. We are losing valuable human resources and capital to the wrong individuals, amounting to millions of cedis. We need to rescue these people” he said.
He also raised concern about the way in which these con artists were using Facebook, in particular, to trick the nation’s elderly unemployed population by posting pictures of members of parliament online.
“Currently what is happening is that, multiple Facebook accounts are being created for Members of Parliament (MPs) and am sure not even IGP is spared. They used public figures name with pictures and the vulnerable youths are convinced, security employment is not left out and people pay not less than GHc12,000 later to know that they are dealing with fraudsters.”
“I have evidenced of a native of Kintampo defrauded of GHc35,000 in the name of sending him abroad” he emphasized.
The MP repeatedly reported this instance to the police and national security, but the problem persisted, so he asked for a national dialogue.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com/Nana Kwaku Boffah
