In the early hours of Monday, His Worship Abdul Majid Iliasu, the Assin Fosu District Court Judge, received a phone call from an unknown number claiming to have mistakenly transferred money into his account. The caller urged him to act on the transaction, followed by a text message purporting to be from a telecommunications provider confirming the transfer.
Judge Iliasu immediately recognised the tactic as a common MoMo fraud method. He said the incident occurred shortly after the court had risen and he was preparing to leave the premises. "The person called and said he had mistakenly sent money to my account. I checked, and there was a message purporting to be from the telecommunications service. After further checks, I realised they were fraudsters because that was one of their modes of operation," he recounted.
His amusement at the irony was evident, but he warned that MoMo fraudsters target anyone, regardless of status. The scam followed the judge’s sentencing of Prince Mensah, who was found guilty of defrauding mobile‑money vendor Alice Fofie of GH¢37,000 and fined 7,500 penalty units (GH¢9,000) as a deterrent.
Expressing concern over the rise of electronic transaction crimes in Assin Fosu, Judge Iliasu called on the Ghana Police Service and cybersecurity authorities to intensify investigations and prosecutions of MoMo fraud and related offences. The remarks were made during proceedings in a separate kidnapping case involving four suspects accused of abducting 30‑year‑old Bismark Amoh, who was held in Kumasi from September 6 to 11.
Authorities are urged to act swiftly to curb the growing threat of mobile‑money fraud across the region.
