The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has raised concern over the growing number of criminals masquerading as security officers to cheat members of the public and investors.
In a statement, UPDF said criminal elements are increasingly posing as officers from security agencies such as the UPDF, Internal Security Organisation (ISO), and Uganda Police Force (UPF) for illegal gains.
Col. Chris Magezi, the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, said the fraudsters use the names of security agencies to mislead people into fake investment deals, extort money, and threaten victims.
“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,” Col. Magezi said.
He explained that the most affected institutions are the UPDF, ISO, and UPF, although other government ministries, departments, and agencies have also not been spared.
“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,” he said.
Magezi added that the suspects also manipulate, extort, and threaten their victims using different forms of intimidation.
He revealed that joint security operations and investigations conducted between May 2025 and April 2026 handled 18 such cases, with most of them concluded and forwarded to courts of law.
Some of the victims targeted include foreigners with business interests in Uganda, including multinational investors, as well as local businesses and individuals across all levels of society.
UPDF has now urged the public to be extra careful, carry out due diligence before making business decisions, and report any suspicious individuals pretending to be security officers.
“We urge members of the 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,” Col. Magezi said.
