I know of someone who got scammed of 3.5 million naira. He had wanted to relocate to Canada. The man didn’t know the signs to identify fake travel agents so the scammers played on his intelligence.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of fake travel agents. Every year many people fall victim to them. These phony agents have mastered the art of identifying gullible first time flyers. This guide will help you know if the travel agents you are in contact with are genuine or a scam. Do not become prey to these scammers please. Don’t also allow your fear of falling victim stop you from exploring the world.
1. They offer very cheap prices
This fake travel agents know how to present mouth-watering offers to unsuspecting travelers. Always evaluate and reevaluate while checking for other signs that identify phony travel agents.
Let’s say an agency presents an offer of 500,000 naira for a visa and travel to Canada from Nigeria. This sounds so cheap but is obviously an impossible transaction.
If I get such an offer, the first thing I’m doing is to block them on all socials. With this, they have no opportunity to reach me too. You should do this too except you are ready to waste your money and time.
2 . They have no verifiable accreditation
Every genuine travel agency should at the very least belong to a recognized organization. That makes them verifiable. They should belong to a body that can hold them accountable.
One major benefit of dealing with an accredited travel agent is that when they err, you have a recognized organization to which you can tender a report. For Americans, there is the International Association of Travel Agents Network (IATAN). Nigeria has the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA). You can also visit the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal to check if the agency is registered.
3. They do not listen or make valid recommendations
A competent agent will listen, make recommendations, and provide you with information you typically won’t find on the internet. You have to pay attention to how they listen and the suggestions they make. Fake travel agents are often unable to answer questions about the application process without stuttering or being evasive.
When you try to bring a genuine concern to the fore, they waive it. They make you believe that your travel is 100% guaranteed without clear-cut talks on how they are going to make that possible.
4. Their Reviews seems good to be true
Third-party recommendations are a huge thing. But, if the reviews look too good to be true, there might be some real cause for concern.
People pay others to give good reviews or might create fake accounts or hide under the name tag “anonymous” to give themselves those perfect reviews.
Note that humans are insatiable and you can’t always get a 5-star review from clients. Hence, a mixture of the good and the bad but the good more than the bad is often more realistic.
10. They urge you to pay for forged documents
A Genuine travel agency will not ask you to pay for forged documents. This is because they have a reputation to protect. On the other hand, this fake agents do not have any reputation to uphold. They are more concerned about making money off you as an unsuspecting traveller.
Conclusion
We have explored the most common signs to look out for when identifying fake travel agents. It is by no means an exhaustive list but it will get you started and come in very handy. Do not get carried away by seemingly appealing offers that these suspicious agents make. Learn to trust your instincts. If you have a gut feeling that something is fishy, walk away.
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