The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has indicated that financial losses from online blackmail and sextortion in Ghana have surged to GH¢499,044 in the first four months of 2025.
This represents a sharp rise from the GH¢103,663 reported during the same period in 2024, underscoring the growing economic toll of increasingly sophisticated cybercriminal tactics.
The CSA also reported a slight uptick in the number of cases between January and April 2025 compared to the 155 incidents recorded during the same months last year.
Criminals typically operate through fake social media profiles often featuring attractive images to lure victims into romantic interactions. Once trust is established, victims are coerced into sharing explicit content, which is later used to extort money.
CSA reported that victims are usually threatened with the release of compromising images or videos unless they pay a ransom through mobile money. However, the CSA cautions that making payments rarely ends the extortion, as victims often face continued threats.
To evade detection, attackers frequently move conversations to encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.
CSA urges the public to stay alert, avoid interacting with unknown online profiles, never share intimate content, and report suspicious activity via its 24-hour cybersecurity support lines.
