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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Travel / Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! (9957 Views)
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Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by dotmund: 8:51am On Feb 22, 2009 |
everything in this life is a risk,if you do not try you will not know the real agent.even agent is not embassy they are just trying for you they have only 60% assurance so just try one first |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Omonla(f): 9:04am On Feb 22, 2009 |
dotmund: You mean, let the person "try" fake Visa Agent A, and 50,000 naira later, Visa Agent A runs away with his/her money. Then person "tries" Visa Agent B and 70,000 naira later, Visa Agent B has disappeared. Here is a better idea - You know the road to Embassy? Why you no fit go without Agent? |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Nobody: 11:25am On Feb 22, 2009 |
Omonla: Bingo! ![]() DeltaVAGTM |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Nobody: 11:35am On Feb 22, 2009 |
dotmund: Now you're being frighteningly daft. ![]() So, folk should "lose their money" first, before weeding out the dupes from genuine people? You profess to be an agent, so please answer these questions: 1) If you're employed, who do you work for? a] Dedicated email for the company you work for? b] Dedicated landline for the company you work for? c] Your employer's name - i.e whom do you report to? 2) If you're self employed, where's your business registered? a] Your dedicated email address? b] Your fixed landline? c] Credentials attesting to you being an "agent?" 3) Are you a "self-professed" agent , or a qualified one? 4) Any satisfied clients you've "helped" in the past? If you're not one of the thieves that trawl the boards, then prove me wrong! Untill then, I'm calling you out - you're a thief! ![]() DeltaVAGTM |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by chyk91(m): 12:16pm On Feb 22, 2009 |
D guy na crook, either im go lie or im go run. |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by dotmund: 7:10pm On Feb 23, 2009 |
no be by force to go meet agent if you won travel do amm yourself and see if you go get visa but if you look for good agent to % go dey different becos naa wettin he dey do be that. |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Nobody: 11:43pm On Feb 23, 2009 |
dotmund: And you think you're any better? The very few places I've needed a visa to go visit, I've just applied via the relevant High Commissions, and never been refused. Untill I joined Nairaland, I'd never even heard of a "Visa Agent." It's not magic - it's common sense. Anyway, we digress. Can you supply any of the above in my previous post? DeltaVAGTM |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by lizzyA(f): 9:20am On Feb 25, 2009 |
The truth is that most of this agent are despirate to travel to Europe,imagine some one dat havenever been out of nigeria shores promising to process a uk or America visa,pls my people let us start using our common sense,people will take advantage of u if u are to despirate.WHAT WILL BE WILL. |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by sfdaram(f): 5:30pm On Feb 28, 2009 |
i am proud to be a travel agent as a profession because is wonderful career. what is happening in travel industry in nigeria also happen in other industry. just as a fake travel agent can run away with your money,so also a stockbroker can dupe you on your stocks,even an insurance broker /agent too can do away with your money without putting proper insurance in place for you. you see a travel agent can work from home without an office,yes is as easy as that but in situation where one deals with an agent without house or office address what do you expect. Travel agent are suppose to be proffessional in the field of travel recognise by embassies,airlines,hoteliers & public . i once told someone on this forum before types of travel Agent we have in naija.1.accredited agent 2.register agent 3. frelance agent .it depends the one you are dealing with.the number 3 are the most problematic among them because no house or office address to trace them,so when you patronise no.3 , you do at your risk. you see using travel agent for visa is acceptable by embassy but people always think agent will perform miracle to get them visa.i tell you ,most agent get visa out of embassy depends on how strong their contact /link is with the embassy. lastly, people should know office of their travel agent & ensure that they truely work in the agency and not arrangee. |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by mowaa: 11:48pm On Feb 28, 2009 |
sfdaram: Solape Wajero, so which embassy do you have strong contact link and what do u mean by strong.?, u personally know the consul-general? |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by stkris(m): 4:38am On Mar 01, 2009 |
mowaa: maybe he is the consular general ![]() |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Nobody: 9:52am On Mar 01, 2009 |
^^^ No, he's a lying, thieving, fraudulent, opportunistic, deluded, conniving, brain-dead scumbag! ![]() Strong links my foot - visa's are not given out due to the fact you have "strong links," they're given based on merit. |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by sfdaram(f): 3:07pm On Mar 01, 2009 |
@ to whom it may concern, am not here to say what i dont know ,even though most of us know & pretend as if we dont. am not disputing the fact that visa is given on merit and on what merit are will talking about, meeting embassy requirements or summiting all required/necessary documents. the question i want to ask you is that ,have you not heard or seen people been denied of visa despite submition of neccessary requirement/documents? when you walk into an embassy & you are given visa does not mean you are perfect in documentation.there is more to visa issurance than documentation though good document/documentation take higher percentage in the whole process. now as agent, if you dont know, we agent know that with good documentation plus link/contact ,we get visa for our passenger/client. if you walk in into an embassy with right document & you r deny visa, and same application is given to an authentic travel agent to process in the same embassy and the agent gets the visa out for you what magic do you think the agent has perform to get the visa? my friend no magic there.after proper documentation we back it up w link & visa comes out. @siena @st kit when i talk of link i talk about knowing who is who in there.you ask me if i know Visa consular, is it impossible to know visa consular? am not speaking about embassy in other country but am telling you about nigeria. tell me the embassy you think is the most difficult in nigeria. am sure you will say america is one of them but i ask you, are people working in there GHOST? or is it because when you enter the place all of them look humilating & intimidating?if you dont know much about the white in embasy, have you ever ask your self about the blacks (naija) among themself .dont they go home after work? pls they are human being like us, is the nature of thier job couple with the training they have undergone that makes them look the way they look & behave the way the do. after embassy work they behave different but what am telling you is that if you dont know you dont know & the fact that you dont know doesnt make it impossible. just thank your star that you walk in into embassy & you are given visa others are not as lucky. also not everyone can google for all thngs the way you do.how may people have personal pc? how many people have access to internet? some people go to cyber cafe to send or reply post on this forum. Inconclusion, there is nothing that is not possible & always thank your star for whatever fortune it has brought. still waiting for more attack & condemination from you because alot of people enjoy to attack, abuse & condem on this forum. 1 Like |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Nobody: 5:00pm On Mar 01, 2009 |
In that case Sfdaram, shoot me an email / offline YIM, let's see how thing work. My contact details are in my profile. |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by sfdaram(f): 5:33pm On Mar 01, 2009 |
if anyone call me for visa,if i can process it or have the link i will tell you i can (provided you have your money because people in there take money),if i dont have the link i will tell you i dont and that is the mistake most agent are making that make people call travel agent all sort of names.if you cant do it dont take people's money.also, if individual feels is easy then dont give any agent money walk into the embassy & apply. @siena i dont mean to be rude since you can get everything you need by yourself including visa by walking into the embassy,then i dont thing i have anything to offer you. because all the services i render(FLIGHT BOOKING,TICKETING ,HOTEL RESERVATION,TRAVEL/HEALTH INSURANCE,VISA PROCUREMENT, TOUR PACKAGE ,ETC) is what you always tell people to google so i dont think contacting you is neccessary.let me render service to those that cant walk into the embassy to get visa out and others that cant use google to book for flight ticket & hotel. with due respect ,my contact detail as below; sfdaram@yahoo.com(personal),heroestravels@yahoo.com(company),234-8028315014 or 234-1-8515371. taxs. |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Nobody: 7:43pm On Mar 01, 2009 |
Sfdaram, that's fine. Part of being successful at one does, is to be able to accept critism, constructive or otherwise. And you've misunderstood - I don't need a visa, to the UK, EU or United States. I was going to discuss something completely different. Good luck! |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by mowaa: 8:30pm On Mar 01, 2009 |
sfdaram: Solape Wajero i think you should post the list of embassies you have strong links for here on the forum and if any nairalander is interested in any of your listed countries, he will contact you by phone, what ya think? |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by sfdaram(f): 9:54am On Mar 02, 2009 |
@ siena, since you said our discussion is on something else then i will contact soon(especially if it is a business talk). @ mowaa i dont need to list any embassy on the forum.besides, you sound like a mockery . |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by coolfaced8(f): 2:35pm On Mar 02, 2009 |
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Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by travelcare: 6:17pm On Mar 05, 2009 |
I have been so busy for quite a while even till this moment. This topic is quite interesting and I would have loved to open my mind like a TV set for people to watch if it had been possible. With the few reactions I have been able to read so far with respect to the original post by Siena, I discovered that some posters are 'follow-follow' and would always say yes when people say yes and no when people say no. Yes! agreed, many agents on Nairaland are fake and one should be careful dealing with them. Clearly, and I guess, most Nairalanders are matured people and adults who have different perspectives for different issues. It should be in our minds that you can dig out a piece of gold from a refuse dump. The judgment so far on agents here have been one-sided not taking into consideration few other factors. We have forgotten that in every system throughout the world, there is a 'backdoor'. It exists! By BACKDOOR, I mean there is a short-cut. I was involved in a deal with a visa officer which I met my accident while on youth service in 2004 (I wouldnt like to go into details of the story as this is public). Things worked fine as we engaged in a deal which lasted only for about 3 months. I thought it would be forever and all of a sudden, the officer was moved out of the country and I was not informed. I got a job from a client which resulted in a disappointment. I explained to her (my client), and she understood. I returned her funds according to initial agreement. Since that time I have learnt to do the homework properly for my clients in conformity with the standard required by the respective embassy and things have been working out. We, at Travelcare, always state to our clients at the initial stage that "we are not the embassy but we'll do it the way the embassy requires". Some people are first-timers and would require information which ought to be free from experienced professionals as a guide for them so that they dont 'dive into a river which the depth is unknown to them'. Some visa officers of most foreign embassies in Nigeria are VERY corrupt but they live the life of a masquerade and only their agents know them. They have people who work for them, you MUST believe it because they exist. If you are lucky to get them and you have all it takes, you may get the visa but how would you identify the man behind the mask? Sometimes, people would say "I have been duped!", "the agent collected my money and nothing was done", and so on. Careful look at most of those cases, you'll discover that that person was not actually duped. Maybe, the process was just a trial and error which eventually resulted into visa refusal and the money spent like, visa fee and others which would normally be spent if the individual was to do it himself would now be termed fraud. My advice to potential travelers is that they should be wise in their dealings with agents. If anyone says he's going to get you a visa with or without advance payment and it would be ready within few days, it could be false. Most people are led astray due to their overzealous gestures and too much desperation to get out of Nigeria. A word is enough for the wise. I know that this post will generate further reactions from aggrieved nairalanders, they are entitled to their own opinion but I believe I have hit the nail on the head, you cannot rule out 'back door' in every system. However, I am prepared for any attacks and mockery from different angles - it is the strength I need to improve my service and to prove that if a Lagosian is bald-headed, it does not mean all Lagosians are bald-headed. In the meanwhile, if you need professional advice/assistance on travel and visa matters or visa application packaging, feel free to contact Travelcare Consults via email: travelcare.consults@gmail.com or call 016663625 or if very urgent, call Olawale on 08023809767 or come to our office: Travelcare Consults Akinola A. Akingbala Chambers 17 Ashabi Shonuyi street Surulere Lagos. Travelcare |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by bigbumper(f): 6:37pm On Mar 05, 2009 |
Siena: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() travelcare: GBAM ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Nobody: 7:06pm On Mar 05, 2009 |
big_bumper: Oops! My mistake, I just responded after looking at the post before mine, that referred to Sfdaram as a "he." @ Sfdaram: My apologies for being unduly harsh, force of habit, after seeing what a lot of con artist's post on here. I need to take every poster on their own merits, and not tar them with the same brush! ![]() |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by bigbumper(f): 7:42pm On Mar 05, 2009 |
Siena: Woman wrapper, so are you saying you would have been milder with your response if you knew she was female ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Nobody: 8:28pm On Mar 05, 2009 |
big_bumper: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by meetyommy: 3:27pm On Mar 10, 2009 |
Yes i agree that most agent here on nairaland are fraudsters, (NOT ALL) The reason cannot be far fetched, i see this as a problem of both parties(the one who needs help and the one who renders help), why would you get involved with some who is untraceable,unreliable,unpredictable?you know this yet you still get in the deal.Nigerians are always too much in a hurry for nothing, its in the blood!they are hurrying to go nowhere and this makes the desperate ones amongst us have their way, Its time that we use our head, Couple of years back i got an email from a lady, saying she needed to do a Masters program and that she needed my assistance, we exchanged only a few emails,asked for my account number and sent me the required money needed to pay her fees(we have never met).Now immagine if she had gotten in touch with the wrong person, She didnt bother to do any research on my person and we even didnt meet until the week we were going to put in her application!i later found out she couldnt do much by herself because of the nature of her work, However,the bottom line is try as much as possible to find out more about the person and what He or She is willing to offer, I cannot over emphasize that, And for you, Fraudsters keep up your good work okay, God's judgement will catch up with you and your generation soon, thats How far God will go on your case, |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by stkris(m): 11:38pm On Mar 10, 2009 |
Siena: in this case, being male or female makes no difference, n besides its d internet. a lonely 45 year old man could come off as an 18 yr old blonde chic ![]() |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by doklass(m): 2:44pm On Mar 12, 2009 |
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Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Saruman: 11:38am On Mar 13, 2009 |
![]() There is a clear difference between the replies of dotmund and sfdarams and that shows the clarity of mind, expression and facts which explains how well these guys are co-ordinated mentally as agents. It is very true that all these consulars too are corrupt as I've learnt from recent experience and the "link" is that factor that all the travel agents that "guarantee" visas use for their clients. Actually, a friend told us recently that most the Schengen and Asian embassies in Nigeria (Lagos in particular) have these corrupt insiders and even if your document is 200% correct, if these dudes do not have a stake, you may be refused. Italian, Spanish, Indian and suprisin'ly Canadian embassies are some I do know very well. Fake in Nigeria is a "relative" term. ![]() |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Saruman: 11:44am On Mar 13, 2009 |
![]() when i talk of link i talk about knowing who is who in there.you ask me if i know Visa consular, is it impossible to know visa consular? am not speaking about embassy in other country but am telling you about nigeria. tell me the embassy you think is the most difficult in nigeria. am sure you will say america is one of them but i ask you, are people working in there GHOST? or is it because when you enter the place all of them look humilating & intimidating?if you dont know much about the white in embasy, have you ever ask your self about the blacks (naija) among themself .dont they go home after work? pls they are human being like us, is the nature of thier job couple with the training they have undergone that makes them look the way they look & behave the way the do. after embassy work they behave different but what am telling you is that if you dont know you dont know & the fact that you dont know doesnt make it impossible. Have y'all heard the story of the big US visa runz that happened in Lagos some years back? 1mill/visa - "guaranteed" ![]() |
Re: Paying "Travel / Visa Agents" - Beware! by Vicjustice: 7:31pm On Mar 13, 2009 |
The Issue of assigning This_Guy and Chamotex as moderators of this section is equivalent to the instances of assigning Lawyers to supervise a Scientist research Lab, or assigning two politicians from Sokoto state to be chancellors of some local communities in Umuahia. A look to these Gentlemen's profiles reveal why scammers have invaded this very section with their traps: You will see that Chamotex (with Sexuality as his favourite subject) has not the least interest in travel matters, there is not a single post or contribution from him in this Travel section as his statistics and corresponding posts show below: Most Popular Boards By Posts Most Popular Boards By Activity Forum Games: 2134 Sexuality 0.99% Sexuality: 1365 Rap Battles 0.54% Romance: 1020 Sports 0.42% Sport: 824 Forum Games 0.42% Music/Radio: 299 Food 0.41% Dating And Meet Up-Zone: 290 Culture 0.31% Culture: 241 Music/Radio 0.26% Rap Battles: 92 Romance 0.26% Food: 84 Dating And Meet-up Zone 0.20% General Discussion: 63 General Discussion 0.08% As for This_Guy, though he has made some contributions, one can still tell that he has other preferential interests in other matters rather than in Travel. His activities. . . : Most Popular Boards By Posts Politics 731 Sports 340 Culture 306 Travel 293 Business 258 Career 152 Romance 111 Education 97 TV/Movies 91 Properties 59 I remember some time ago when Siena was in charge, there were so many similar threads and posts designed to cheat or scam people, but non of them survived this long. It seems these thieves were just waiting for this inactive regime to invade the forum. I can see that almost every scam thread and post are left undeleted. Too bad there are too many thieves here; even there are many of us who pretend to be genuine with identified usernames and yet have other ones with which they tried to steal money from people. I remember how i put it upon my shoulder stepping on the toes of every thief wherever they surface, and how some people whom i thought i never encountered took it personal and began to attack me thus making me unpopular: It became clear to me that these people were more or less the characters behind the scammers. Despite our efforts to stop these thieves from taking advantages of this forum to scam people, it is remarkable that a number of people still fall victims to their traps, someone (who feels too embarrassed to be named) has just sent me an email informing me of how he's just lost N60.000 on travel document course. These said, i must commend This_Guy and Chamotex for their humble and peaceful individual attitudes, i note that thy have been members of this forum for ages with outstanding number of posts, and yet, i never knew of them until they were appointed moderators of this section. Thumb up for them. |
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