399 Youth Rescued in Morogoro Internet Scam Bust

Hundreds of Youth Rescued in Major Anti-Fraud Crackdown in Morogoro

Morogoro, Tanzania – Wednesday, April 2, 2025

In a major police operation aimed at combating the surge in internet-based fraud, authorities in Morogoro have rescued 399 young individuals from an elaborate scam network and apprehended 19 suspects believed to be orchestrating the operation under the guise of entrepreneurship training.

Speaking at a press briefing today, Morogoro Regional Police Commander Alex Mkama revealed that the suspects lured victims through social media by promising to train them to become future billionaires. The fraudulent training schemes, which lacked any official government accreditation, were linked to alleged companies currently under investigation.

Commander Mkama explained that the young people were invited to secluded, gated houses where they were required to pay training fees ranging from TZS 600,000 to TZS 1,000,000. Once enrolled, participants were pressured to recruit peers using persuasive tactics and travel to Morogoro to join the camps.

Many of the affected youths reportedly came from regions such as Arusha, Manyara, Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, and Iringa. While in these training camps, they were manipulated into contacting their families to send additional money under the pretext of further training, often with the false promise of overseas employment.

“One mother reported her son had threatened to sell a kidney if she refused to fund his travel abroad, convinced that it would make him a billionaire. In the end, these youths were abandoned and ended up at police stations seeking help to return home,” said Commander Mkama.

The Tanzanian Police Service has reiterated that official entrepreneurship training is available only through government-recognized institutions. Citizens are urged to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of such programs to avoid exploitation.

One particularly distressing account came from Rosemary Mtalo, a special-seat councillor from Malula Ward, Arumeru District, Arusha Region. Her son, who had been undergoing field training in hotel management in Kibaha, became ensnared in the scam after meeting a woman who complimented his culinary skills and gave him TZS 7,000 as a gesture of goodwill. She later contacted him, claiming to offer him a job opportunity in Morogoro—but only if he could pay TZS 150,000 for the interview process. The family complied, providing both the fee and transport money.

“After three days, he informed us that only six out of thirty candidates passed the interview, and that he had ranked first. He was then told to pay TZS 5.8 million to secure a job in Dubai with a promised salary of TZS 2 million per month,” said Mtalo, speaking from the Morogoro Police Station.

She expressed gratitude for the swift and effective intervention by the police and urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant when their children report such offers, to prevent them from falling prey to similar traps.