Ghana’s first public scam-detection platform, TrustGH, has recorded more than 3,000 reports of suspected scam phone numbers since its launch, highlighting the growing scale of fraud activities targeting individuals and businesses across the country.
According to the platform, the reported numbers have been linked to various forms of fraudulent activity, including online shopping scams, fake investment schemes, job and recruitment fraud, romance scams, impersonation and other forms of financial deception.
The platform enables members of the public to report suspicious phone numbers, which are then analysed using international scam-detection parameters.
Each number is assigned a risk score ranging from zero to 100 per cent, indicating the likelihood that it is associated with fraudulent activity.
TrustGH disclosed that more than half of all numbers submitted to the platform have been assigned the highest risk score of 100 per cent, suggesting a very high probability of scam involvement.
The reports have originated from multiple channels, including TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, SMS messages, phone calls, Google Business profiles and fake websites.
TikTok accounted for approximately half of all reported cases, making it the leading source of suspected scam activity identified by the platform.
According to the platform’s findings, more than 90 per cent of reported scams involved attempts to obtain mobile money payments or gain access to victims’ mobile money accounts.
Investigations have also revealed that fraudsters frequently create fake social media pages and online profiles designed to imitate legitimate businesses in order to deceive unsuspecting customers and extort money from them.
A spokesperson for TrustGH said the figures demonstrate the increasingly sophisticated and organised nature of online fraud in Ghana, particularly on social media platforms.
The spokesperson explained that the platform was created to provide the public with a reliable and data-driven way to verify unfamiliar phone numbers before conducting business transactions or making payments.
TrustGH also revealed that it works closely with the Cybersecurity Authority and the Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service to support investigations and help combat fraudulent activities.
The platform has urged the public to verify unfamiliar phone numbers before making payments, sharing personal information or engaging in business transactions, while encouraging users to report suspicious numbers to strengthen the national database of scam reports.
TrustGH describes itself as Ghana’s first public scam-detection platform, offering a free, crowd-sourced database that enables individuals and businesses to identify and avoid potential fraud.
