GHANA COMBATS UNLAWFUL LOAN APPS, FRAUD, AND CYBERBULLYING

Tunji Wusu –

Online lending applications are the new scammers in Ghana, preying on low-income people with obtrusive advertisements for soft loans that get them in hot water.

One Ghanaian victim was desperate for money to pay his Takoradi Technical University tuition when he decided to download an internet loan app and ask for a $300 ($26) loan.

He received the money in his mobile wallet despite without submitting the onerous documents necessary by licensed operators, but it came at a cost.

“They deducted 90 as a service charge and sent the rest.” “Within a week, they told me I owed 570,” he adds. “The only thing I saw after that was that they had sent my photos to my contacts via WhatsApp, tagging me as a criminal.”

Online lending apps are the new scammers in Ghana, with obtrusive adverts for soft loans targeting low-income people. Those who fell for it must deal with the consequences.

The victim’s manager received a flood of text messages offering to pay off the victim’s debt.