Over 420 suspected loan app operators arrested

Over 420 suspects engaged in loan app operations have been arrested.

The Cyber Security Authority, in partnership with the Bank of Ghana and the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), launched a swoop as part of a combined Cyber security committee operation, which resulted in the arrest of the suspects.

The joint operation involved a raid of the premises of some suspected operators of digital lending apps (loan apps) located in the Greater Accra Region.

The operators of these apps engage in cyberbullying, extortion, data and privacy misuse, and, in the worst-case scenario, death threats.

This comes at a time when there have been multiple instances of some online loan reporters engaging in debt shaming of defaulters.

“The three collaborating institutions launched a swoop in the early hours of Monday, July 10, 2023, as part of a Joint Cybersecurity Committee operation which resulted in the arrest of over 420 suspects”, a statement from the authority mentioned.