A finance officer at a Ghanaian company receives an email from "the CEO" asking her to urgently transfer funds to a supplier. The email looks legitimate. The name is right. The language is professional. She transfers GHS 95,000. The CEO never sent that email. This is phishing — and it is the most common form of cybercrime targeting Ghanaian businesses today.
What is Phishing?
Phishing is a social engineering attack where cybercriminals impersonate trusted individuals or organisations — your bank, the Ghana Revenue Authority, your CEO, or a familiar vendor — to trick employees into revealing sensitive information or taking a harmful action such as transferring money or clicking a malicious link.
Types of Phishing Attacks Your Business Faces
Email Phishing
Mass emails sent to many recipients at once, impersonating banks, GRA, or well-known brands. The goal is typically to harvest login credentials or install malware.
Spear Phishing
Targeted attacks on specific individuals — typically finance staff or executives. Attackers research their target on LinkedIn, study communication patterns, and craft highly personalised messages. These are the attacks that cost Ghanaian companies hundreds of thousands of cedis.
CEO Fraud (Business Email Compromise)
Attacks where criminals impersonate the CEO or CFO to instruct finance staff to make payments urgently. The sender's email address looks almost identical to the real one — a single letter different that most people don't notice under time pressure.
SMS Phishing (Smishing)
Fraudulent text messages posing as MTN, AirtelTigo, GCB Bank, or other trusted brands. Common variants include "your mobile money account has been suspended — click here to verify."
The 7 Warning Signs of a Phishing Attempt
- Urgency and pressure to act immediately
- Sender email address that looks slightly wrong (e.g., support@ghcb.com instead of support@gcb.com.gh)
- Generic greetings like "Dear Customer" rather than your name
- Links that lead to websites different from what the text suggests
- Requests for passwords, PINs, or banking details by email
- Unexpected attachments, especially .exe or .zip files
- Poor grammar or unusual phrasing (though AI has made phishing emails more convincing)
What to Do If You Suspect a Phishing Email
Do not click any links or download attachments. Report the email to your IT team or manager immediately. Forward suspicious emails to the Ghana Cybersecurity Authority at report@nita.gov.gh. Do not respond to the sender.
The Solution: Regular Staff Training
Awareness training reduces phishing click rates by up to 70% within six months. Dev Surge Infotech's Cybersecurity Awareness Programme includes phishing simulation exercises — we send realistic fake phishing emails to your staff to test their response, then train anyone who clicks. It's the most effective way to build a resilient human firewall.
Book a cybersecurity training session for your team before the next attack reaches your inbox.