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Some public and civil servants working in the Tema Metropolis have cautioned staff of the Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD) against giving their mobile phone numbers to Savings and Loans companies.

They said it was illegal for them to give their numbers to such companies and therefore called on the Data Protection Commission to look into the issue to put an end to the practice.

The Data Protection Commission is an independent statutory body established under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) to protect the privacy of the individual and personal data by regulating the processing of personal information.

Some of the workers told the Ghana News Agency that it was a real bother to be receiving messages from savings and loan companies urging them to apply for loans.

Some of the messages read “do you need instant loan (GHC500-GHC98000) at the lowest rate to build, pay fees, buy car, etc. no long process, no collateral, no guarantor. Call 0544---- for enquiry”.

“Are you a government worker in need of loan at a reduced rate within 30 mins? Call Maxwell Offei on 0243---- / 0206---”, others are “LCSL quick loan, are you a government worker? Get a quick loan up to 60,000 within 30 minutes with flexible rate (watsup or call) 0557--- to apply!!”.

Mr Moses Sackitey, a civil servant, said he received about 10 of such messages daily asking him to apply for a loan, a situation he described as worrying.

Mr Sackitey stressed that, “Is it by force? If we want a loan we will go to their companies ourselves to apply”.

He added that even when he replied their message to stop sending him such texts, it rather worsened as they kept sending it.

Mr Ebenezer Adico, a civil servant on his part, questioned how and where those companies and individuals got their numbers if not from staff of CAGD.

Mr Adico added that checks with his friends in the private sector revealed that they never receive such messages, a confirmation of his belief that numbers of public and civil servants were being given to loan companies by CAGD.

Miss Claudia Mensah, another government worker stated that she was surprised to see one of such loan messages on June 30, this year, sent through the CAGD platform which is used for notifying workers of the payment of their salaries.