UPDF Flags Surge in Fraud Linked to Impersonation of Security Personnel

Uganda’s military has warned the public about a rise in criminals impersonating security personnel to defraud and intimidate victims.

In a statement issued on April 20, 2026, Acting Director Defence Public Information Colonel Chris Magezi said individuals posing as officers from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Internal Security Organisation (ISO), and Uganda Police Force (UPF) are targeting unsuspecting members of the public.

“There is a growing tendency by criminal elements and criminal minded members of the public to personate members of the security agencies for ill motives,” Magezi said.

He added that the vice has also spread to other government ministries, departments, and agencies.

Magezi said the suspects often lure victims into fake investment deals and ventures, leading to financial losses.

“The motive behind this criminal behaviour is to mislead and dupe unsuspecting members of the public into entering regrettable investment decisions and ventures, defrauding them of hard earned resources and property. They also extort, manipulate, and torture their victims with all manner of threats,” he said.

Security agencies have stepped up operations to tackle the vice. Magezi said joint investigations conducted over the past year handled 18 cases between May 2025 and April 2026.

He noted that most of these cases have been concluded and forwarded to courts of law, but declined to give details due to legal restrictions.

“The category of cases forwarded to courts of law may not be over-emphasized due to the rule of sub-judice which prohibits discussing the merits and demerits of a case before court,” he said.

Magezi said the criminals mainly target foreigners with business interests in Uganda, including multinational investors, but warned that local businesses and individuals are also affected.

“We, therefore, urge members of the unsuspecting public to take extra caution and conduct due-diligence while running their day to day business. Any suspected criminal behaviour should be reported to the nearest Police or UPDF authority for timely and appropriate intervention,” he said.