The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has urged mobile money (MoMo) users to stay vigilant and take personal responsibility for protecting their digital financial transactions, warning that fraudsters were increasingly using sophisticated ploys to target unsuspecting customers.

The Chamber said the evolving methods used by criminals including social engineering, SIM swap schemes, phishing messages and fake customer-service calls meant that technological protections alone were not enough.

The Chamber gave the advice at a public education event for traders at the Mankessim lorry station in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region, to boost public awareness of fraud risks.

The MTN urged customers to keep their PINs and other credentials confidential.

Dubbed: “Mankessim Market Storm,” the outreach brought together all operating telecos in Ghana to explain mobile-money products and services, and to highlight the Chamber’s commitment to excellence services.

Ms Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, said individuals must adopt safe behaviours, verify requests for money or personal data and report suspicious activity promptly to their service providers and the police.

She said: “The battle against MoMo fraud requires a partnership between service providers, law enforcement and the public.

“While the industry continues to strengthen system security and fraud-detection tools, customers must also adopt basic safety habits to reduce their risk of being defrauded.”

The telecos took turns to demonstrate safe transaction practices and encouraged traders and drivers to report suspicious activity to their service providers immediately.

The teleco cautioned the public against sharing their MoMo PIN through any channel, text, WhatsApp or over the phone.

“Treat your MoMo PIN with the same level of care as your bank PIN. Fraudsters can only succeed if we make their job easy,” Ms Owusu-Ankomah cautioned.

Dr Philip Deatanyah, a Radiation Protection Physicist at the Radiation Protection Agency, together with officials from the National Communications Authority and the Environmental Protection Authority, denounced the rumour that telecommunication masts cause cancer.

Instead, they emphasised the masts were vital for communities by providing reliable mobile and internet connectivity to support emergency services, education, businesses, and social links, while being regulated to meet strict safety standards.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Hayford Alavi, Mankessim Divisional Crime Officer, asked the public not to respond to unsolicited messages or calls asking for money or personal information.

As well, they should report such incidents without delay to the Cyber Crime Unit for urgent redress.

Some clients like Madam Salamatu, Mr Maximus Otoo Hackman and Kofi Mensah said the public education was helpful and had taught them how fraudsters operated and how to protect their PINs, avoid suspicious calls and verify transactions before approving them.

They also said the telecos’ services and sensitisation efforts were useful because the companies were not only educating the public but also improving security systems and offering support channels to reduce fraud.

Overall, they learnt that staying alert, not sharing personal details, and following the telecos’ safety rules were the best ways to avoid losing money to scammers.

GNA