As Valentine’s day don dey approach, na so pipo dey pursue ways to buy gift and oda tins for pesin dem love.
But to show love to your personal pesin go fit end in tears wia you fit lose plenty moni if you no make careful.
One young man for Ghana tell BBC pidgin say im lose Ghc 10,000 ($809) for 2023 as one package im order for one online store no eva reach di destination.
Di store wia Jenny – anoda pesin – order luxury flower bouquet and cosmetics from, also never refund im moni.
“Na my paddy tell me say dis online store dey do Valentine’s Day offer and I contact dem. Afta I place di order, dem tok say make I pay di moni.”
Jenny be one of mani pipo wey fall victim to Valentine’s Day online scam for Ghana last year.
Di cyber security authority Ghana tok say pipo lose up to Ghc 3.5m ($284k) for valentine day scam for 2023 alone.
Di scammers don use di celebration to “defraud pipo” through all kinds of 419 schemes.
‘Credit card, romance fraud don common for Ghana’
Even bifor dis Valentine’s Day scam, di kontri don dey battle many cybercrimes.
Di 2023 Ghana fintech report show say cyber crime like credit card fraud, identity fraud and romance scam be di most common for di kontri.
According to di report, di hackers dey exploit di gaps for di online banking system sake of e don dey attractive.
Di bank of Ghana 2022 fraud report also tok say email fraud be one of di top five fraud categories dem find.
Dis form of fraud don lead to loss of moni to di tune of Ghc 4.3m ($350k) for 2022 alone.
Di kontri don dey struggle wit di rise for cyber threat and online attacks, wia di statistics don show say dis attacks don dey range from individual attacks or complex schemes against organisations.
How di scammers dey defraud pipo
Di cyber security authority tok say from dia records, dem find say di scammers don create fake website, online shops or “impersonate existing businesses for social media.”
Dis scammers den promise plenti discount for dia Valentine’s Day package wey go convince pipo to patronize dem.
Afta dem entice pesin to pay moni for di items, dem no go receive dem, or dem go send gift wey be ‘substandard’.
Apart from dis, dem also create fake business listings wit dia profile for google maps wey dey look like genuine brands.
Di scammers dey use search engine optimization trick to manipulate search result.
Dis search result dey redirect client to contact of di scammers and afta pesin don pay via electronic transfer for di package, na so dem go block di pesin.
For one statement di cyber security authority tok say di scammers also dey use “unsolicited emails and message wit di claim say dem be romantic partner or company wey dey offer Valentine’s Day deals.”
Dis messages and emails get links and attachment wey dey steal pesin im private information wey e dey fit install malicious software.
Di oda ogbonge tin be romance scam. For dis, di pipo don create fake online profile wey go lie to victims and make dem believe say na genuine relationship.
Dem now go use di relationship to pursue dia victims to send moni, provide personal information or to buy items for dem.
Some of dis victims don report to di police and cyber security authority afta dem scam dem.
One of dem be Yohannes Jackson wey enta di kontri for 2020.
One scammer don make am lose more dan Ghc 70,000 ($5,700) for romance scam.
“I tink say I don find pesin I fit marry for Ghana, but I no know say dis pesin go scam me.”
Johannes tok say im report di mata to police for Ghana for 2023 wia im dey hope say dem deal wit am.
But wit dis year Valentine’s Day, di cyber security authority don dey warn say di scammers still dey do dia 419.
Na pesin for make vigilant.
Wetin pipo fit do to avoid online scam dis year?
Jenny wey be victim of online scam wan make pipo open dia eyes well well.
“No be every valentine day deal you go see online be genuine. Some of dem na scam.”
For di cyber security authority, “if di deal be too good to be true, you for watch am again, sake of e fit be scam.”
Di authority also tok say make pipo “use online store wey get reputation for dia valentine day gifts.”
“If you go online, check if customers don write reviews or feedback bifor you go do business wit dis shops.”
Search engines fit provide convenient access to gist, but dem also fit show results wey dem manipulate.
To check dis, you for go di official website or oda reliable sources “to validate di contact details of dis shops. Make you no rely only on di search engine results.”
Pesin for also dey alert for fake online shops and hyped adverts on Facebook, Instagram and telegram.
“If you fit request physical location to validate di legitimacy of di business, you for do am,” di cyber security authority tok.
While most of dis online stores don dey ask for payment before delivery, you for insist say you go pay for di gift on delivery.
For di romance scam, make una dey careful.
No send moni or personal information to pesin wey claim say dem be your romantic partner.
Di authority don advise say, “if you see all dis message and email wey dey claim say dem be from a romantic partner, ignore dem.”
Na your own wahala if you decide to share your personal information like your Ghana card number, credit card information and bank account details.
Wetin dem dey tok in short, be say “every body for dey vigilant. Make una no gree for any scammer dis valentine.”
For Jenny and Johannes wey don fall victim last year, dem learn am di hard way.
Dem say “once bitten, twice shy”.
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