Ayorkor Botchwey warns of fraudsters impersonating her, other officials online
Janice
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, is the latest political figure to complain about fraudsters impersonating her and other officials online.
She said the Police administration has been put on high alert following reports of people impersonating government officials.
The Anyaa-Sowutuom MP told the media she has received numerous reports of people impersonating her with fake accounts on social media.“I don’t have access to any jobs…anybody who tells you to pay money [is a fraudster].”
“How can the minister go on Facebook and say pay money. Immediately it should ring bells; that this person is a fraudster or a scammer. So please be careful and it is not just happening to me. It is happening to other ministers as well,” Madam Ayorkor Botchwey warned.
Other instances
Just this week, a former Deputy Secretary for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, was compelled to lodge a second complaint at the Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Criminal Investigations Department about a fake Facebook account set up in his name.
According to him, the account which was opened about four years ago is still in existence and is being used to circulate posts which he knows nothing about.
In 2018 the Member of Parliament for Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region, Prof. George Gyan Baffour, called on his constituents and Ghanaians to disregard a Facebook account set up in his name.
Fake news threat
Aside from the fake accounts being used for financial gains, some are also being used to spread misinformation and fake news.
Most recently, Former President Jerry John Rawlings had to distance himself from comments associated to him on the Airbus bribery scandal.
There have also been instances of forged statements purporting to be emanating from the Presidency, key opposition figures, among others.
