The Assin Fosu District Court has ordered a mobile money fraudster to pay a fine of GH¢9,000 (7,500 penalty units) or serve an 18-month prison sentence after defrauding a local vendor of GH¢37,000.
The convict, Prince Mensah, a resident of Assin Andoe, pleaded guilty to the charges before His Worship Abdul Majid Iliasu. Mensah paid the fine and was subsequently discharged.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Gilbert Abagna Anyongo, told the court that the incident occurred on August 18, 2026, at Adansi Odumase.
A young woman approached the shop of mobile money merchant Agnes Fofie to make a withdrawal and handed her phone to Fofie to speak with Mensah.
During a lengthy conversation, Mensah manipulated the merchant into executing a series of prompts, resulting in the transfer of GH¢37,000 in electronic cash to a merchant account.
Fofie realized she had been duped shortly after, but MTN confirmed the funds had already been cashed out.
She reported the incident to the Cybercrime Unit of the Central North Regional Police Command in Assin Fosu. Utilizing court orders and telecommunications data, police intelligence traced the funds and arrested Mensah at his hideout in Assin Andoe.
Police confirmed that Mensah admitted to the crime in his caution statement, and investigators successfully retrieved the entire GH¢37,000 during the process.
In passing judgment, His Worship Iliasu noted that Mensah was a first-time offender who showed remorse by pleading guilty and cooperating with law enforcement.
However, the magistrate emphasized that mobile money fraud is rising rapidly in the region, stressing that the penalty serves as a deterrent to potential offenders.
The arrest and conviction form part of a broader crackdown on electronic and mobile money fraud by the Central North Regional Police Command.
