The Ghana Police Service has arrested three individuals for allegedly impersonating public officials and conducting an elaborate online fraud scheme targeting the public.
The arrests were made following a sustained intelligence-led operation by the Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team, focusing on the Volta Region, particularly Sogakope, Dabala, Dzodze, and Penyi.
The suspects have been identified as Gideon Awudi (25), Edem Soku (33), and Judith Soku (31). Investigators say the trio created fake social media accounts to impersonate high-profile figures, including the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, and the Inspector-General of Police, among others.
Authorities explained that the suspects exploited these accounts to gain victims’ trust and defraud them through various online financial transactions.
A senior officer from the Police Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team said, “The suspects used sophisticated methods to impersonate high-profile individuals, which led several members of the public to fall prey to their tactics. Our team worked tirelessly to track and apprehend them.”
Further investigations revealed that the suspects were also involved in mobile money fraud, credit card fraud, airtime sales scams, and online marketplace scams across multiple social media platforms.
The arrested individuals have been transferred to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) at the CID Headquarters for further investigation and will be processed for court.
The Ghana Police Service urged the public to remain cautious during online transactions and to always verify the authenticity of social media accounts they engage with.
