Kampala Hair Shop Linked to Shs13M Fraud on Bank Account in Singapore

Kampala hair shop has been linked to the fraudulent use of a Singapore woman’s credit card, resulting in the theft of UGX 13 million through three unauthorised transactions.

The victim, a Singapore citizen identified as Roxanne, says her credit card information was stolen and later used without her knowledge for three different transactions on her bank account.

According to information from her bank in Singapore, the stolen money was sent to KeReen Hair Shop in Kampala shortly after midnight on May 7, 2026.

In an interview with ChimpReports, Roxanne said she had never made any transaction in Uganda or even travelled to the East African country.

“I have never travelled to this country,” Roxanne told our reporter. “I have never purchased anything online from this shop before. So, it is actually my first time to see the name of this shop.”

HOW THE FRAUD HAPPENED

Roxanne says her card details were stolen after she clicked on a TikTok link while trying to make an online purchase.

“My credit card information was actually stolen when I clicked a link for some purchases on TikTok,” she said. “The purchase did not go through, but instead the person — the scammer — managed to add my credit card onto his or her mobile wallet. And that’s how the transactions took place in that KeReen hair shop.”

The TikTok link she clicked appeared to be selling food, not hair products.

THREE TRANSACTIONS IN TWO MINUTES

Bank notifications shared with our reporter show that the UGX 13 million fraud was carried out within two minutes shortly after midnight.

At 12:23 a.m. Singapore time, a transaction of UGX 9,000,000 was processed at KeReen Hair on Roxanne’s card.

At 12:24 a.m., a second transaction of UGX 3,000,000 cleared at the same merchant.

Seconds later, a third transaction of UGX 1,000,000 was completed, also at KeReen Hair.

At 12:25 a.m., the bank sent a final notification to Roxanne informing her that it had restricted her account for security reasons.

“For security reasons, your card number ending 5513 has been blocked. Please call DBS hotline immediately,” the bank notification seen by ChimpReports reads.

A fourth transaction worth SGD 2,600 was attempted but did not go through.

“That one didn’t go through because my credit card was already messed up by this person (and blocked by the bank),” Roxanne said.

Roxanne says she was asleep when the fraud took place and only discovered what had happened the following morning.

“It was actually my bank who contacted me,” she said. “My bank blocked the card after those three transactions and they tried to contact me. The transactions were actually made during the midnight and I was already sleeping. So, I only woke up the next morning and I saw that the card had been misused and I had a missed call from the bank.”

After discovering the fraud, Roxanne attempted to contact KeReen Hair directly through a phone number she obtained from their social media pages.

However, her messages and calls have not been answered.

Our reporter contacted KeReen Hair by phone seeking a response. A woman who appeared to be the owner of the salon answered.

“I run a business and I am not aware of anything like that,” she said. “I am just hearing this for the first time.” She then ended the call.

When called again, the same woman said: “I hung up and I appreciate you don’t call again because I don’t know what you are talking about. I run a legal business.” She ended the call a second time.

CYBERSECURITY IN A CASHLESS ECONOMY

The rise of cashless payments — mobile wallets, contactless cards, and digital banking — has made everyday transactions faster and more convenient, but it has also opened new doors for cybercriminals.

Fraud cases like Roxanne’s are becoming increasingly common across the world. Scammers now use a variety of techniques, such as malware and phishing, to exploit digital payment infrastructure, intercept card details, enrol stolen cards onto mobile wallets, and conduct fraudulent transactions thousands of kilometres away from the victim.

In Uganda, where mobile money and digital banking have rapidly transformed how people send and receive payments, the country’s growing integration with international digital payment networks also means it can be used as a destination point for cross-border financial fraud.

Globally, cybercrime is estimated to cost the world economy billions of dollars annually. Experts warn that as more consumers shift to digital payments, the sophistication and frequency of such attacks will only increase.