The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has busted a 31 year old man for robbing Ugandans millions with fake promises of gigs abroad.
The suspect, Andrew Mark Asiimwe, a car dealer in from Nyamitanga Subcounty in Mbarara Municipality opened a fake Facebook page with the names and picture of Gen Salim Saleh, a brother to President Yoweri Museveni.
UPDF Spokesperson, Brig Felix Kulayigye, says Asiimwe opened the Facebook account in in June 2021 and started advertising job opportunities abroad. He has since defrauded over 200 Ugandans money worth four million shillings.
Asiimwe was reportedly swindling between 50,000 and 85,000 shillings from each victim as registration fee for the non-existent job opportunities.
“ He confessed to have obtained money using a facebook account he intentionally opened in the names of Gen Salim Saleh. The facebook account has Gen Saleh’s picture and uses it for job advertisements targeting youths who want jobs abroad,” says Kulayigye
Kulaiagye says they he always negotiated his payment on facebook, avoiding physical contact with his victims for fear of detection.
“He preferred online communication with clients and avoided physical meetings to avoid being detected and the money was being sent on phone number 0741936768 in the names of Ezra Nkamwesiga which he says he bought from a simcard vendor.”
Brig Kulayigye said after receiving the money on the simcard not in his name, the 31 year old car broker would later send the money to a simcard under his own name.
“He confessed to have been motivated into this crime in December 2020 when he fell victim and was been defrauded of shs200,000 by someone who said was a personal assistant to Gen Salim Saleh.”
This is not the first time that fraudsters are trying to swindle the public and the General. In the past, security forces have busted four others for hacking into Gen Saleh’s bank account to to steal shs43 million from the bank account held in Stanbic bank.
