6 biggest scams from Africa that duped people out of millions

Passport and Visa Fraud

The passport and visa scam occurs when two persons are in cahoots with one another and there is a transfer of official documents.

The person wishing to travel pays another with a valid passport and visa and uses the passport to travel internationally.

For instance, Detective Seth Sewornu, the head of the Ghana Police Visa and Document Fraud Unit recalled being propositioned in 2014 after he returned from a trip to the United Kingdom.

“I returned from the UK in 2004, and a distant relative approached me that “Look: you have a visa. This guy looks like you. Let’s give you £1000, so you give him your passport to travel,” Sewornu explained.

Others spend huge amounts of money to “travel agents” or “brokers” who promise for a fee of course – to obtain travel documents that enable the purchaser to travel to wherever they wish to.

Now, many fraudsters are targeting frequent travellers by stealing their face and identity but using their face and sometimes are able to travel outside of their respective countries, as documented by Quartz Africa.

Many Africans are desperate to travel abroad for better economic opportunities. Forging documents are just the tip of the iceberg as to what they will do to get out of their respective countries.