Some 425 individuals, including 422 Ghanaians and three foreigners, have been arrested for allegedly operating unlicensed digital loan applications.

The arrests were made during a joint operation conducted by the Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC) on July 10, 2023.

The JCC, which comprises the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), the Bank of Ghana (BoG), and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), carried out the operation after receiving 270 complaints of cyberbullying, harassment, death threats, and other related offenses over the past six months. The complaints were filed by victims who had interacted with these illicit lending platforms.

The operation involved raiding the premises of four suspected illegal digital lending companies in the Greater Accra Region. As a result, authorities were able to seize 654 mobile phones, 22 laptop computers, and approximately 800 SIM cards.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) released a statement providing details of the operation and the items recovered during the raid.