Tema, May 20, GNA-The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) has organized a series of sensitization engagements with students of 24 Senior High Schools in the Volta Region.
The engagements formed part of EOCO’s 2022 education programmes on Prohibited Cyber activities and related matters.
Mrs Faustina Lartey, Head of the Public Affairs Unit, who led the sensitization, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the programme was rolled out in two phases and engaged over 35,000 students from the schools to create awareness of the negative and positive effects of the internet.
Mrs Lartey said the team also threw light on the types of cybercrimes and also the effect these crimes have on the youth, individuals, businesses, and the country as a whole.
She mentioned that there were several cybercrimes, but notably among them were romance and dating scams, mobile money fraud, scholarship scams, hacking, and advance fee fraud (419).
She explained that romance and dating scam was a crime in which the criminal makes the victim fall in love with him or her, through which they extort monies and other items such as mobile phones, laptops, and even cars.
She said in most cases victims only get to know their lovers were criminals when they have to meet in person adding that some even went to the extent of setting wedding dates with them but do not show up.
Mrs Lartey indicated that as part of the mandate of EOCO to stop people from benefiting from crimes, they investigate and prosecute such cases when reported to them by the victim.
GNA