A BBC Africa Eye investigation has exposed a large-scale scam operating from Mityana, Uganda, where fraudsters use pitiful images of dogs, cats, and rabbits to swindle animal-loving Brits out of thousands of pounds. The scammers, running hundreds of social media accounts on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, pose as fundraisers from pet shelters and solicit donations via platforms like GoFundMe.
How the Scam Works
Open source intelligence techniques revealed that scammers in Mityana have conned animal lovers worldwide out of more than £540,000 over five years. An undercover reporter from the BBC World Service infiltrated the network, documenting how dogs are used as props to generate content and revenue. One 15-second TikTok video showed an injured dog named Russet lying on the side of the road, claiming he had been in an accident and pleading for donations. Thousands of pounds were raised before a UK donor secured his release, but despite veterinary care, Russet died from severe injuries that were likely inflicted deliberately.
Victim's Story: Lianne Stone
Lianne Stone, a 38-year-old carer from Manchester, lost over half her life savings to the scammers. She donated £1,300 over six months via PayPal and Western Union, believing she was helping starving puppies in Uganda. The videos showed emaciated dogs desperately trying to eat bones. Lianne said, 'The videos are heartbreaking. It’s hard to scroll past them without thinking I should help them.' She became suspicious when she requested a personal video of the dogs eating and received a clip of older dogs instead. Eventually, she realized the dogs were cowering in fear of the men handling them. She deleted Instagram and suffered mental health impacts.
BBC Investigation Findings
The undercover reporter visited a shelter run by Charles Lubajja, where about 15 dogs were kept in a single cage, lying in their own waste, many severely underweight. Lubajja admitted the shelter exists solely to make money from foreign donors and shared tricks for filming fake veterinary treatments. He was secretly filmed saying, 'Once you receive the GoFundMe money, you use it to buy a car or build a house.' He also confessed that content creators have cut dogs to make them appear more battered. Bart Kakooza, chairman of the Uganda Society for the Protection and Care of Animals, noted that young men realized they could make money by exploiting dogs.
Platform Responses
A TikTok spokesperson stated that 97.7% of content violating fraud and scam policies was removed before being reported, and 99.4% of animal abuse content was removed. GoFundMe said they have banned several accounts linked to the activity and encourage reporting. Mityana Police have investigated animal cruelty and made arrests, but one case was closed with a warning.
Dr Isa Lutebemberwa, the vet who treated Russet, called for better due diligence by fundraising platforms and stricter shelter regulation by the government. Lianne Stone said, 'I’ll never get the money back, and the dogs are still in danger. The more successful the scam gets, the more animals these people will harm.'
