FRAUDSTERS MASQUERADING AS TAX COLLECTORS RIP OFF ACCRA TRADERS

Dozens of market women, hawkers, and small shop owners across Accra have reportedly been duped by men posing as municipal revenue collectors who demand cash, hand over forged receipts and disappear, Asaase Radio has found. Victims say the impostors sometimes work in teams and at times appear with armed guards to intimidate traders into paying on the spot.

For 32-year-old stallholder Edna Ayittey, the encounter remains vivid. Two men in white shirts accused her of a licensing breach, demanded her day’s takings and gave what looked like an official stamped receipt, later discovered to be counterfeit. “We thought we were paying our taxes to support the country,” she told reporters.

Investigative reporting and interviews at busy markets such as Agbogbloshie, Kaneshie, Dome and Madina show the scam preys on the most vulnerable in the informal sector, food vendors, roadside hawkers and stallholders who often transact in cash and lack digital literacy or formal association protection. Many victims remain silent for fear of intimidation or losing their goods.

Officials say the problem has been known for years. The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) previously acknowledged that fake tickets circulated and internal audits have in the past detected counterfeit receipt booklets used by rogue collectors. Local experts point to three enabling factors: Ghana’s heavy reliance on cash, paper-based collection systems that are easy to forge, and regulatory blind spots that fraudsters exploit.

Under Ghana law, assemblies are authorised to collect fees and the issuance of unauthorised receipts is criminal. The Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) and related revenue laws criminalise false receipts, but prosecutions remain rare, creating an environment of impunity. Experts warn that such scams deepen revenue leakages and erode public trust in official systems.

Both the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and AMA are pushing for digital, cashless collections as a key fix. The GRA has urged taxpayers to use approved electronic platforms, including the government portal and the *222# mobile code, and warned that any officer demanding cash is likely a fraudster. AMA officials remind traders that the official daily market toll in Accra is GHC2 and to always insist on a valid receipt after payment.

Market watchers and policy analysts say the solution must combine tougher enforcement, faster digital roll-out, and intensive public education. Measures being trialled include QR-coded receipts, market helplines, supervisory reconciliations of field collections and in-market awareness drives, but advocates note adaptation will take time and extra support for informal traders who lack phones or digital skills.

What traders should do now (practical tips):

• Refuse cash payments to individuals who cannot produce verifiable ID and an official receipt; insist on an official printed or QR-coded receipt.
• Use the GRA’s approved channels (government portal or *222#) where possible and keep digital confirmations.
• Report impostors immediately to the nearest AMA office or police station and, where available, use market helplines.