Ghanaian authorities have intensified efforts to track down online scammers operating across the country, but an important question remains: what is being done about scammers who allegedly use illegal mobile phones from inside Ghana’s prisons to scam the public?
The Ghana Police Service, including its Cyber Crime Unit, continues to warn the public about fraud, online scams and other forms of cybercrime. Police operations have led to the arrest and prosecution of suspected scammers in different parts of the country.
However, accounts from some former prisoners who have been released from custody have raised concerns about the alleged use of unauthorised mobile phones by inmates to contact and scam people outside prison.
According to claims made by some former inmates, prisoners who gain access to mobile phones can make calls from inside their cells and allegedly use them to deceive members of the public and demand money.
These accounts have raised questions about how illegal phones enter correctional facilities and whether some inmates may be continuing criminal activities while serving their sentences.
Mobile phones are generally restricted in prisons because they can allow inmates to communicate with people outside the facility without the knowledge or supervision of prison authorities.
If such devices are being used for fraud, inmates could potentially contact members of the public while pretending to be police officers, lawyers, relatives, court officials or other trusted individuals.
Some scams could involve claims that a relative has been arrested, needs bail money or is facing an urgent legal problem or mobile money fraud. The allegations from former prisoners therefore deserve closer attention from the relevant authorities.
One of the biggest questions is how unauthorised mobile phones get into correctional facilities in the first place.
If inmates are found with illegal phones, investigations could look beyond the person possessing the device and examine how the phone entered the prison, who supplied it and whether anyone outside the facility is helping inmates carry out fraudulent activities. There is also the question of whether some phones are being shared among inmates or used by organized groups.
The fight against cybercrime should not focus only on scammers operating from homes, internet cafés or other locations outside correctional facilities.
If the claims made by former inmates are accurate, then prison-based fraud could represent another area requiring attention from the Ghana Police Service, Cyber Crime Unit and Ghana Prisons Service.
Investigators could potentially work with telecommunications companies and other relevant agencies to identify suspicious communications linked to correctional facilities, subject to applicable laws and investigative procedures. The issue therefore goes beyond catching individual scammers on the streets.
About The Author
