Ghanaians lost nearly GH¢300,000 to online restaurant impersonation scams in the first six months of 2026, as cyber criminals increasingly hijacked Google business listings to trick unsuspecting customers into paying for food that was never delivered.
A new alert issued by the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) shows that financial losses from the scam surged to GH¢296,083.68 between January and June this year, more than three times the GH¢84,592 recorded during the same period in 2025. Reported cases also climbed sharply to 112, up from 61 a year earlier.
According to the Authority, fraudsters are targeting legitimate restaurants and food vendors by altering their contact details on Google Search, Google Maps and other online platforms.
In some cases, criminals exploit Google’s “Suggest an edit” feature, claim unverified business profiles or create duplicate listings before replacing genuine phone numbers with fake ones. Others purchase sponsored advertisements to ensure the fraudulent contact details appear at the top of search results.
Unsuspecting customers then place food orders using the fake contact details and are instructed to send payment through mobile money or fraudulent payment links.
Once payment is made, communication ends and the food is never delivered. In other instances, victims are lured into entering personal and banking information on fake payment pages, exposing them to further financial losses.
The CSA is urging consumers to verify restaurant contact details through official websites, verified social media pages or trusted food delivery platforms before placing an order. It also advised the public never to share mobile money PINs, one-time passwords or banking credentials and to avoid making payments through unfamiliar links.
The Authority is also calling on restaurants and other online businesses to secure and verify their Google Business Profiles, regularly monitor their online listings for unauthorised changes and prominently display their official contact details to reduce the risk of impersonation.
Credit: Citi Newsroom