Uganda Calls for Stronger Global Action Against Online Scams

What the report says

Uganda has urged countries to step up cooperation against online scam networks, with a focus on faster information sharing, joint investigations and stronger court and investigative capacity. The appeal was made by Minister of State for Internal Affairs Hon. Juma Witonze Kisekka at the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS) 2026 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, according to Nile Post.

The report says Kisekka warned that some Ugandan youth are being targeted through fake overseas job offers, then trafficked to scam compounds where they are allegedly pressured into carrying out online fraud. He argued that authorities should not treat such people only as offenders, but should also recognize them as potential victims of coercion and exploitation. He also said tracing illicit proceeds is part of dismantling these cross-border criminal networks.

Kisekka called for stronger investigative and judicial systems to help countries respond more effectively to transnational cybercrime. He also held a bilateral meeting with Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H.E. Abhisantibindit Sar Sokha, to discuss security cooperation, agricultural market access and the safe return of Ugandans stranded in Cambodia.

The broader significance is the growing concern over scam operations that use deceptive employment promises to recruit victims across borders. More generally, governments in the region have been increasingly discussing how to coordinate responses to cyber-enabled fraud and human trafficking, especially where victims are drawn into criminal activity after being misled by job advertisements.