CEO of the Ghana Association of Banks, John Awuah, has warned that no Ghanaian is beyond the reach of fraudsters after revealing that he was targeted by scammers just moments after appearing on a radio programme to educate the public about cyber fraud.

Speaking at the JoyNews-Hubtel dialogue on fraud’s impact on Ghana’s digital economy on Wednesday, he said his personal experience exposed the growing sophistication of fraudsters and underscored the need for every Ghanaian to remain vigilant.

Mr Awuah disclosed that shortly after leaving the Joy FM studios, where he had spoken about cyber fraud, he received a message from suspected fraudsters.

“To be honest, now I even get scared because there was a day I was at Joy FM studio to give public education on cyber fraud, and just after the studio, when I sat in the car, I got a message from fraudsters. I think when I left, they said, ‘Let’s try this guy.’”

The Ghana Association of Banks CEO said the incident convinced him that nobody should assume they are beyond the reach of cyber criminals.

“So it comes when it comes to fraud, nobody is safe,” he said.

Mr Awuah cautioned that one of the biggest challenges in Ghana’s fight against fraud is the false belief that education or professional status offers protection against scammers.

According to him, that mindset leaves many people vulnerable because they let their guard down.

“So the danger we are having in this country is that some people believe they are immune. They think their level of education takes them out of the fraud victim population.”

He stressed that fraudsters do not discriminate when choosing their targets and urged Ghanaians to abandon any sense of invincibility.

“No, we are 35 million people and we are all in the sample size.”

His remarks come at a time when concerns are growing over the rising incidence of cyber-enabled fraud and digital financial crimes as more Ghanaians embrace mobile money, online banking and other digital payment platforms.

The JoyNews-Hubtel dialogue brought together key stakeholders to discuss the growing threat of fraud to Ghana’s digital economy and the measures needed to strengthen public awareness and improve protection for consumers and businesses.