CRIME WATCH: Visa Hunters, Beware Of Merciless City Conmen
Nov 13, 2002
When Margaret Ankunda of Masindi was promised to be assisted to get an American visa, she thought that was the end of her poverty-related suffering.
By John Kamya
When Margaret Ankunda of Masindi was promised to be assisted to get an American visa, she thought that was the end of her poverty-related suffering.
Little did she know that it was just the beginning of her woes and of the process to lose even the little she had.
There is a breed of conmen in town who have specialised in fleecing unsuspecting people of their hard earned money by promising to get them visas and taking them to western countries.
These heartless conmen don’t seem to lack customers (call them victims) as it seems those who want to go out for kyeyo are not few. The conmen start by identifying those who want to go to Europe or the US.
They convince them that they have the ability to help them as they have helped so many other people.
They even promise to connect them to a person of first contact in the destination country.
The first demand therefore is that the “beneficiaries†produce some money, usually sh3m to assist in the acquisition of a visa and some more money to be sent to the other person who will receive them. After receiving the money, they become hostile and even warn their victims that they will be harmed if they continue bothering them.
Margaret paid her money after being convinced by the conmen who provided plenty of “proof†to her.
“After all that, I obtained a sh3m loan from the bank hoping to pay it from my first few months’ salary,†a tearful Ankunda narrates. After the payment, she was given a passport, which had her photograph but bore another person’s name.
The passport had visas and stamps of several countries and she was convinced it had helped many people to go to the US.
At that stage, they asked her to pay sh5m more to be sent to the person who would receive her in the US. She did not have the money, so they convinced her to sell her car. Some money was given to her to buy the air ticket and the rest retained.
After she had bought the air ticket the conmen started dodging harassing and even threatening her. What complicates the situation is that the victims of this scam are not willing to report the conmen to police because they are aware that the transactions was unlawful.
However, the police encourage such victims to report to them. The Police can be contacted on 071-667704, 041232359 or call the Commissioner of Police in charge of crime on 071667713. Ends
When Margaret Ankunda of Masindi was promised to be assisted to get an American visa, she thought that was the end of her poverty-related suffering.
Little did she know that it was just the beginning of her woes and of the process to lose even the little she had.
There is a breed of conmen in town who have specialised in fleecing unsuspecting people of their hard earned money by promising to get them visas and taking them to western countries.
These heartless conmen don’t seem to lack customers (call them victims) as it seems those who want to go out for kyeyo are not few. The conmen start by identifying those who want to go to Europe or the US.
They convince them that they have the ability to help them as they have helped so many other people.
They even promise to connect them to a person of first contact in the destination country.
The first demand therefore is that the “beneficiaries†produce some money, usually sh3m to assist in the acquisition of a visa and some more money to be sent to the other person who will receive them. After receiving the money, they become hostile and even warn their victims that they will be harmed if they continue bothering them.
Margaret paid her money after being convinced by the conmen who provided plenty of “proof†to her.
“After all that, I obtained a sh3m loan from the bank hoping to pay it from my first few months’ salary,†a tearful Ankunda narrates. After the payment, she was given a passport, which had her photograph but bore another person’s name.
The passport had visas and stamps of several countries and she was convinced it had helped many people to go to the US.
At that stage, they asked her to pay sh5m more to be sent to the person who would receive her in the US. She did not have the money, so they convinced her to sell her car. Some money was given to her to buy the air ticket and the rest retained.
After she had bought the air ticket the conmen started dodging harassing and even threatening her. What complicates the situation is that the victims of this scam are not willing to report the conmen to police because they are aware that the transactions was unlawful.
However, the police encourage such victims to report to them. The Police can be contacted on 071-667704, 041232359 or call the Commissioner of Police in charge of crime on 071667713. Ends