The Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has issued a stern warning to fraudsters attempting to exploit the ongoing Ghana Prisons Service recruitment exercise, declaring that the state has implemented a counter system.

During a high-profile working visit to the Prisons Borstal Recruitment Screening Centre in Accra on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, the minister observed the second phase of the Ghana Prisons Service screening process firsthand.

Addressing hundreds of hopeful applicants, the minister emphasised that the newly launched Centralised Services E-Recruitment Portal (C-SERP) has been engineered specifically to make the process tightproof against middlemen and extortionists.

The minister’s visit comes amid reports of sophisticated scams where individuals pose as high-ranking officers to demand money or slot reservation payments via mobile money and other means.

The minister was quick to debunk these schemes, pointing to the end-to-end digitalisation of the recruitment lifecycle.

“If anybody thinks that he can use this system to enrich himself or herself, they should think again because every payment is through that system—the centralised system that we've created,” the minister stated.

He cautioned applicants against responding to unsolicited text messages or WhatsApp calls that diverge from the official portal's instructions.

“Don't let anybody send you a message to deceive you, saying that 'Oh, pay your medical through this phone' or send you some message telling you that 'Oh, you've been qualified to the next stage, so pay that.' It will be through the very portal that you received the text message and information that you should come for the body selection.”

The C-SERP platform, which launched in late 2025, represents a paradigm shift in how Ghana’s security agencies—including the police, fire, immigration, and prison services—conduct enlistment.

Key features of the new digitalised system include:

• Centralised Payment Tracking: All financial transactions, including the purchase of initial recruitment vouchers, are routed through a single, verifiable system (USSD 71303# or GCB Bank). This prevents leakage to unauthorised private accounts.
• Biometric Integration: The portal is integrated with the National Identification Authority (NIA), ensuring that ghost applicants or individuals using fake identities are flagged immediately.
• Automated Status Updates: Applicants can independently log into the portal to check their progress, eliminating the need for a linkman to provide information on shortlisting.
• Barcoded Documentation: Every document, from the summary report to medical forms, is generated with a unique barcode for instant verification during physical screening.

The ministry has deployed a multi-agency monitoring team to safeguard the integrity of the exercise.

This includes operatives from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID), and the National Signals Bureau.

Alhaji Muntaka confirmed that several arrests have already been made across the country involving individuals using cyberspace to deceive innocent applicants.

The minister concluded by praising the Ghana Prisons Service for the orderly and humane manner in which the Accra screening—which expects to process over 800 applicants this week—has been conducted.

He reiterated that recruitment remains strictly merit-based and that any applicant caught attempting to buy their way in will be summarily disqualified and prosecuted.