Traditional Healer Scams in Uganda: Warning Signs

Scams are not traditional medicine

Fraudsters use the respect people have for healers and spiritual leaders. Genuine healers lose out too: their reputation suffers, and some have had fake pages opened in their names. Knowing the patterns protects you, and it protects honest practitioners.

What Uganda Police have said

On 3 March 2025 the Uganda Police Force spokesperson, ACP Rusoke Kituuma, warned about people who pose as pastors by day and work as traditional healers by night. Police said victims were persuaded to hand over money and property, including land titles, with promises of miracles, financial breakthroughs or blessings. When victims asked for refunds, the fraudsters threatened them. Police said they had identified more than 15 suspects and urged the public to verify religious leaders and healers before seeking services, and to report suspicious people to the nearest police station.

In November 2025 police in Mukono District arrested three men accused of posing as healers. According to the police, the group advertised on local radio, held fake “healing sessions” in rented houses, claimed they could “bless” money and turn Ugandan shillings into US dollars, and sent victims to remote villages where accomplices robbed them. Police recovered phones, SIM cards and land sale agreements. The deputy police spokesperson advised the public to avoid self-proclaimed healers who promise quick riches.

Common scams

Money doubling or “blessing” money

You are asked to bring cash so it can be multiplied, blessed or changed into dollars. The cash disappears, or you are given a sealed bundle you must not open for days. Nobody can multiply money by ritual.

Magic rings, wallets and charms for wealth

Websites and social media posts sell “magic rings” or “money spells” that promise riches, luck or power. They usually ask for payment first, then more “activation” fees. If you search online for spell casters in Uganda, you will find many such pages, often copied from each other.

Online spell casters with foreign or unknown numbers

Some profiles claim to be famous Ugandan healers but only talk by WhatsApp or email, sometimes from foreign numbers, and want payment by mobile money or wire transfer before any meeting. A real healer has a place you can visit and people who know them.

Rising fees and threats

The first fee is small. Then the “spirits” want a goat, then a cow, then money for a bigger ritual. If you hesitate, you are told a curse will fall on your family. Threats like this are pressure, not healing. Threatening someone with death or harm by witchcraft is itself an offence under the Witchcraft Act.

Fake cures

Products claiming to cure HIV, cancer or diabetes are a red flag. The drug authority has arrested sellers for misleading cure claims. See checking herbal medicine.

Warning signs at a glance

• A guarantee of wealth, a visa, a court win or a partner’s return.
• Requests for land titles, logbooks, IDs or mobile money PINs.
• Fees that grow after you have paid.
• Pressure to keep everything secret from family.
• Threats when you ask questions or want a refund.
• No physical address, only a phone or a page.

What to do if you are targeted

1. Stop paying. Do not send “one last fee” to get your money back.
2. Keep evidence: mobile money messages and transaction IDs, receipts, phone numbers, chat screenshots, names and places.
3. Report to the nearest police station, as the police advise. Take your evidence with you.
4. Call your mobile money provider quickly if you sent money; give them the transaction ID.
5. Tell family or someone you trust. Scammers rely on shame and secrecy.
6. If the person is listed on Juju.ug, report them to us under our safety policy.

How to protect yourself

Use the safe healer checklist: real name, real place, local reputation, prices up front and no guarantees. Healers listed on Juju.ug must follow our safety rules, and you can report anyone who breaks them.