How online restaurant scammers dey dupe pipo for Ghana and tips to stay safe

Wen Sarah Mensah try to order chicken from one of di popular restaurants for Accra, she no ever tink say she dey deal wit scammers.

Na di usual way she dey do am; she go call di contact, place di order, den dem go deliver di food.

But for dis day, di pesin wey pick di call ask her for more dan di usual.

She give BBC News Pidgin blow-by-blow account of wetin happun.

"Dat day afta I place di order, di pesin tell me say im go send link wey go confam di order. Dis link get one form wia I gatz fill my name, di order and di amount togeda wit my location," Sarah tell BBC News Pidgin.

E no end for dia.

"Afta I send di details, di man call me back and e tok say I go get one prompt wey go ask for my mobile money pin, my number and my name as dem dey prepare di food order."

Sarah Mensah say di tin no clear – na so she bin call di number again to ask why she gatz send her mobile money pin.

"As I call am, im tok me say di pin na to confam di payment on top di website no be say I dey send di pin to am personally. Di tin still no clear, some of my colleagues tok me say make I neva do am, but I no listen wey I send di pin."

Within seconds wetin happun, don shock her.

Sarah explain say "afta I write my pin, I begin to get notification say dem withdraw money from my account – dem first comot Ghc 92 ($8) for di food, later I receive anoda message say dem withdraw anoda money from di wallet – I bin check wey I see say my balance be zero, I scream at dat time."

"But di tin no end dia, dem also withdraw my MTN loan, about Ghc 800 ($70); I try to call di mobile operator say make dem try to reverse di withdrawal or block di pipo from moving di money, but dem say dem no fit do anytin about di mata."

Sarah tok BBC News Pidgin say "MTN ask me to change my mobile money pin quick quick so say di scammers no go get access to my account again."

"Dat tin wey happun to me na very bad experience I no go lie; dem scam me and collect all my money for my mobile wallet, wey I also neva receive di chicken I bin order."

Cyber authorities record sharp increase for online restaurant scams

Di Ghana Cyber Security Authority (CSA) say dem dey track criminals wey dey create and edit contacts of legit restaurants and food sellers for google search, google maps and oda online platforms, to scam customers.

According to authorities, dem record more dan 100 cases between January and June dis year alone.

"Dis cases from vendors and customers don increase from 60 cases for di same period last year to 112 cases. Di moni wey loss for dis scam don reach Ghc 300k ($26)."

Di CSA say dem arrest some pipo wey dem still dey pursue odas wey dey involved for dis kind scam.

For 2025, one popular Ghanaian gospel musician Celestine Donkor also share how dem scam her wen she pick one restaurant contact online, wey she order food to celebrate di birthday of her sister ichildren.

"I call di number wey dem take my order wey dem ask me to pay – even though I tok dem say I go drive to pick up di food, di pesin on top di line say I gatz pay di money to secure di order sake of some customers bin dey order food, wey dem no dey come collect am."

Di gospel musician explain inside one video say "di explanation dem give make sense to me at dat time, but immediately I bin send di money, e don click for my mind say na scam dem scam me be dat."

"Afta I send di money, I call di number to ask why di name on top di account no be di name of di restaurant – wey dem tok me say na dia manager im number dem dey use. Dem later tok me say to confam di order, I gatz enta my pin code – na dia I realize say dem wan scam me even more."

Celestin Donkor say she later receive messages say dem bin suspend her mobile wallet pin code sake of somebody try am many times to withdraw money from my account, na so I drive to di restaurant to report di mata wey dem tok me say na scam dem scam me be dat."

"I bin lose plenty money dat day, sake of di order I bin try to make online, na for 10 pipo. I decide to share dis tori to create awareness so say pipo no go take restaurant contacts for google wey pipo go scam dem."

How di fraudsters dey do di restaurant and food vendor scams

Di Cyber Security Authority say dis na how di scammers dey operate.

Tips for di public to avoid falling victim

Di Cyber Security Authority say as much as dem dey pursue dis fraudsters, pipo gatz open dia eyes and dey careful online.

Dem say dis recommendations fit help protect di public.

How restaurants, food vendors and oda businesses fit protect dia customers from scammers

Some customers say dem tink some of dis restaurants dey aware of dis scams but dem no do anytin about am.

Di Cyber Security Authority say dia 24-hour reporting contact dey active for pipo to report cybercrimes and ask for help to deal wit fraudsters online.

Di CSA want make restaurants to:

Owner of one food company Angilin Catering services - Angela Akusika Lebene tok BBC News Pidgin say "we dey share our registered SIM card wey get our business name and details to our customers."

"We dey tok di customers say make dem no send money to any number apart from di registered business contact wit di business name," di food business owner tok.

She add say "pipo gatz create websites and ensure say na only dem get access to di codes and odas to authorise transactions, to prevent third party access."

"For me, I get official pages on top social media wia I get di business contacts; I always dey check di page to ensure say all di details dey intact, also once a while make you try buying sometin from your own company and see how di process dey to check if sometin wrong dey happun along di process," Angela explain.

Di entrepreneur wey dey sell food, pastries and oda event management services say "business owners dey need training for technology wey go help track our orders and payment systems."

"For those businesses wey get website – di owners gatz know how to navigate di website and di payment systems so say third parties and even di pipo wey create di website no go divert orders and payments to dia own accounts at di expense of di business."

Now you sabi wetin to do if you wan order food online; you gatz check, check and check again, bifor you confam dat order.