Scams have always been a thing, a lot of us have experienced in one way or another. I came across this contest
by
Asking the question;
Have you ever been scammed?
When? Where? How?
and aftermath.
Make me remember one of my encounters with a scammer about three years ago.
On that fateful day, I was in my honey store and just like any other day, a young man walked up to me and said he needed to purchase some honey. After the transaction he went on and on about how good my honey is, and that he can introduce me to companies that will buy from me in large quantities.
So I was very interested in what he had to say. He told me I will have to register my business with CAC before they will be able to do business with me which I told him I was already in the process of my registration. He suggested to me that he has an uncle, a lawyer that can help me fast track the whole process. I was hesitant to use his Lawyer since he is a stranger and I can't just trust him yet. But I tried to keep an open mind and as well hide my distrust from him.
Right from when he walks into the store he looks suspicious but he also looks like he can get me a great deal, the reason why I gave him the chance to know the kind of person he is.
He started telling me about his own company, how it was working on a contract for the state and federal government and he was just waiting for the approval of those contracts afterwards he would be in money. That was a red flag for me. Why will he be telling me about all that, someone he just met?
After a while he left my shop after we exchanged contacts. He as well dropped his uncle's contact and told me to let him help me with my business registration.
After this, he will chat me up and want to know so much about me, how much my business is worth and all that. I was just playing along. Few days later he called me to say he was stranded in his hotel and needed around 20k in naira to sort himself out that he will pay me back by the time they approve his contact.🤨 red flags. He went on and on about how he really needed the money, as he can no longer afford to buy food and all that. When he mentioned food, it really breaks my heart. I started pitting him even when I knew he might be a scammer who goes about praying on innocent unsuspecting people. The way he was presenting his situation, anyone in my position will feel very bad for not helping him out.
And at the same time I was hoping he was telling me the truth, that he was not a thief. I was like what if he was really in need and I was misjudging him? I decided to give him a little test, so that if he passed I could have the confidence to collaborate with him with my honey business.
So, I told him I can not afford 20k at the moment but I will lend him 5k, since he promised to refund me once his contract came through. He was very happy and appreciated my help. He even went as far as sending me a lot of documents to prove he was telling the truth about the contracts. There was no way for me to verify them if they were real or not.
To cut the long story short, I sent him the 5k, and after a few days he was still asking for my help. At this point, he did not even talk about our business collaboration anymore and once I brought it up he would give me excuses. When I told him I don't have money to assist him again, that he should contact his family and friends for help, he stopped picking my calls and blocked my line.
I later found out from someone he scammed not far from my shop, that is how he goes around telling people about a non existing contact and once you believe him he will start requesting for your help.
I really don't trust him right from the beginning but when he told me he could not buy food to eat I started feeling guilty for not helping him even if it is just a little.
I'm glad I never used his uncle's contact to register my business as that one smelled like his accomplice as well. Since then I have tried not to let people take advantage of my kindness. There are some people who know that if they tell you about a problem you are more likely to help, so they fabricate the problem and sell it to you. If I cannot verify a problem I'm no longer helping out.