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Travel Scams

This is a page documenting the many types of travel scams that are currently being run around the planet. These scams included anything from face to face hustling to email trickery to phony marriage initiatives. What follows is a description of each scam which will be followed my my suggestion on how to avoid it. [...]

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This is a page documenting the many types of travel scams that are currently being run around the planet. These scams included anything from face to face hustling to email trickery to phony marriage initiatives. What follows is a description of each scam which will be followed my my suggestion on how to avoid it.

This page is a constant work in progress, more scams to be added as they come in or as I experience them.

Email scams

The lost money scam

Hello’ This Message Is Respectfully Yours!

I am writing this mail to you with tears and sorrow from my heart. With due respect , trust and humanity, i appeal to you to exercise a little patience and read through my letter, I wish to contact you personally for a long term business relationship and investment assistance in your Country so i feel quite safe dealing with you in this important business having gone through your remarkable profile, honestly i am writing this email to you with pains, tears and sorrow from my heart, i will really like to have a good relationship with you and i have a special reason why i decided to contact you, i decided to contact you due to the urgency of my situation, My name is Miss Henrita Kipkalya Kones, 23yrs old female and I held from Kenya in East Africa. My father was the former Kenyan road Minister. He and Assistant Minister of Home Affairs Lorna Laboso had been on board the Cessna 210, which was headed to Kericho and crashed in a remote area called Kajong’a, in western Kenya. The plane crashed on the Tuesday 10th, June, 2008.

You can read more about the crash through the below site:

After the burial of my father, my stepmother and uncle conspired and sold my father’s property to an Italian Expert rate which the shared the money among themselves and live nothing for me. I am constrained to contact you because of the abuse I am receiving from my wicked stepmother and uncle. They planned to take away all my late father’s treasury and properties from me since the unexpected death of my beloved Father. Meanwhile i wanted to escape to the USA but they hide away my international passport and other valuable travelling documents. Luckily they did not discover where i kept my fathers File which contains important documents. So I decided to run to the refugee camp where i am presently seeking asylum under the United Nations High Commission for the Refugee here in Ouagadougou, Republic of Burkina Faso.

One faithful morning, I opened my father’s briefcase and found out the documents which he has deposited huge amount of money in bank in Burkina Faso with my name as the next of kin. I travelled to Burkina Faso to withdraw the money for a better life so that I can take care of myself and start a new life, on my arrival, the Bank Director whom I met in person told me that my father’s instruction/will to the bank is that the money would only be release to me when I am married or present a trustee who will help me and invest the money overseas. I am in search of an honest and reliable person who will help me and stand as my trustee so that I will present him to the Bank for transfer of the money to his bank account overseas. I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust. But rather take me as your own sister.

Although, you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without knowing you, well I will say that my mind convince Ed me that you may be the true person to help me. More so, my father of blessed memory deposited the sum of (US$11.500, 000) Dollars in Bank with my name as the next of kin. However, I shall forward you with the necessary documents on confirmation of your acceptance to assist me for the transfer and statement of the fund in your country. As you will help me in an investment, and i will like to complete my studies, as i was in my 1year in the university when my beloved father died. It is my intention to compensate you with 30% of the total money for your services and the balance shall be my capital in your establishment. As soon as I receive your positive response showing your interest I will put things into action immediately. In the light of the above. I shall appreciate an urgent message indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction sincerely.

AWAITING YOUR URGENT AND POSITIVE RESPONSE, Please do keep this only to your self for now un till the bank will transfer the fund. I beg you not to disclose it till i come over because I am afraid of my wicked stepmother who has threatened to kill me and have the money alone ,I thank God Today that am out from my country (KENYA) but now In (Burkina Faso) where my father deposited the money with my name as the next of Kin. I have the documents for the claims. Waiting for your reply through my mail box id:

Yours Sincerely
Miss Henrita Kipkalya Kones.

Analysis of the lost money scam

This scam usually involves an email outlining a story like the one above, hard luck followed by a large sum of money that is lost that only YOU can help to recover. I imagine that if you replied to this prompt you would somehow be asked for your bank account details and all your money stolen.

Filed under: Uncategorized

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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VBJ is currently in: New York City

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