The Territorial Police at Nsangi Police Division have rescued 47 young people from an alleged human trafficking syndicate that masqueraded as an online job and financial training opportunity, marking one of the latest cases in the disturbing surge of job-related scams across Uganda.
The victims, aged between 16 and 30, were rescued on 3rd December, 2025, after being trafficked from multiple districts, including Mbarara, Bushenyi, Kabale, Ntungamo, Mityana, and parts of the Busoga sub-region.
Police say the group was recruited by Dream Visionaries, a company operating under Alliance in Motion Global, which promised them lucrative online income opportunities following financial literacy training.
However they instead preyed on unemployed youth eager for digital work, deceiving them with false promises.
Upon arrival at the camp, the victims were confined in small rooms, deprived of their phones for six days, and completely cut off from the outside world.
Speaking to journalists, the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Rachael Kawala said the rescue mission was initiated after one victim managed to escape and tipped off authorities.
SP Kawala revealed that preliminary investigations show the company charged each recruit UGX 150,000 as a registration fee, targeting vulnerable and desperate job seekers.
After six days of isolation, the victims were issued phones and ordered to call their families to demand UGX 1.5 million in ‘start-up capital’, a tactic investigators believe was used to extort money through coercion.
“Efforts to arrest the director of Dream Visionaries are ongoing as inquiries into the broader trafficking network widen,” SP Kawala said.
She added that all 47 rescued victims are now receiving medical care, counseling, and further support under the supervision of Nsangi Police Division.
Authorities have since urged young job seekers to remain vigilant, warning that traffickers and fraudsters are increasingly taking advantage of widespread economic vulnerability.
The rescue comes amid a spike in fake job schemes targeting unemployed Ugandans through social media platforms, job boards, and informal networks often demanding upfront fees, personal data, or travel payments.
In November 2025, police in Tororo rescued 15 youths who had been lured from the Teso sub region with promises of employment under a fictitious ‘Rock Star Millionaires Team.’ The victims were defrauded of between UGX 150,000 and UGX 1.8 million, leading to the arrest of three suspects.
Earlier, in April 2025, a fake UNHCR recruitment campaign went viral on Facebook, advertising thousands of non-existent jobs and exploiting high youth unemployment.
Additionally, organizations such as UNDP and World Vision issued public alerts throughout 2025, warning Ugandans about fake social media job advertisements circulating in their names.
As investigations continue, police are calling on the public to report suspicious job offers and verify opportunities through official channels to prevent further exploitation.
