International cyber scam syndicates that previously operated in Southeast Asia have shifted part of their operations to Uganda, exposing unsuspecting job seekers to human trafficking through forced participation in online fraud, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has warned.
The ministry says the criminal networks are exploiting Uganda’s expanding digital economy, affordable operating costs and youthful labour force to establish cyber scam centres that target victims across the world. Authorities say the syndicates rent apartments, office spaces and commercial buildings, where they set up makeshift scam centres staffed by both Ugandan recruits and foreign nationals, including individuals from Pakistan and Cambodia.
Victims are reportedly lured through fake job advertisements circulated on WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok and other digital platforms promising attractive salaries, remote work, accommodation and jobs requiring minimal qualifications. Instead, recruits allegedly have their passports and identification documents confiscated before being forced to participate in online fraud under threats, intimidation and violence.
Derek Basalirwa Kigenyi, the Deputy National Coordinator for Counter-Trafficking in Persons at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said the trafficking model has evolved significantly. “Initially, we used to talk about trafficking in persons happening overseas, particularly online scamming operations linked to countries outside Uganda. However, the trend has changed. The scammers have now migrated their operations into Uganda,” Kigenyi told Uganda Radio Network. He said the criminal groups relocated their operations largely to reduce operational costs.
Kigenyi warned Ugandans not to assume that jobs advertised within the country are automatically genuine. “People may assume that online job opportunities within Uganda are legitimate, but they can easily be duped. We must be extremely cautious because these scammers are now operating from within the country,” he said.
He also cautioned landlords and property owners to be vigilant when renting out buildings. “The scammers are renting your apartments. They are renting your buildings. They buy computers and other equipment locally, and some people may unknowingly facilitate these criminal activities,” Kigenyi added.
The warning comes as global agencies, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), increasingly classify forced participation in cyber fraud as a modern form of human trafficking involving forced criminality.
Sadat Muhairwe, a Ugandan survivor rescued from a cyber scam compound in Myanmar, said he was deceived in 2022 after accepting what he believed was a lucrative information technology job. “I was lured by promises of a high-paying IT job, but everything turned out to be a lie,” Muhairwe said. “When I arrived, my passport was confiscated. I was subjected to torture and held by armed gangs. Together with many other victims, we were sold several times between different criminal networks before, by God’s grace, we were eventually rescued and repatriated to Uganda.”
Uganda’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ambassador Dr. Betty Bigombe, said trafficking for forced cybercrime has become one of the fastest-growing forms of organised transnational crime. “There are hundreds of thousands of human beings from all walks of life, especially from developing countries, that are being targeted,” Bigombe said. She attributed the growing trend to high youth unemployment, which makes many young people vulnerable to fake job offers.
Meanwhile, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Uganda Chief of Mission Sanusi Tejan Savage said strengthening safe migration policies remains critical in preventing exploitation. “Target 10.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals explicitly commits countries to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies,” Savage said.
Government data shows that Uganda has recorded 4,835 trafficking in persons cases involving more than 7,581 victims since 2020, with children accounting for over 80 percent of those affected. The 2025 Annual Crime Report also documented the rescue of 26 Ugandan nationals from cyber scam compounds in Myanmar, while authorities have secured 864 trafficking-related convictions as efforts to dismantle the criminal networks continue-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
