Crime

Don’t Get Scammed: Avoid These 5 Places for Fake Visas

Published by Akinwale Fakinlede on July 16th, 2025.

Don’t Get Scammed: Avoid These 5 Places for Fake Visas

You’re not alone if you’re daydreaming about trading Lagos traffic jams for the calm of Canadian suburbs or the efficient trains in the UK. But before you send ₦850k to “Agent Kelvin” — who swears he can land you a UK job, visa, free lodging, and two goats in under two weeks — take a deep breath. 🛑

Lagos isn’t just the city of hustle. It’s also the unofficial HQ for elaborate travel frauds.

Let’s take a closer look at five Lagos locations where travel scams run wild, powered by smooth talkers, fake promises, and Photoshop skills strong enough to fool your village chief. These stories are real, reported, and as painful as they are ridiculous.

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1. Iyana-Ipaja – Lagos’ Land of Lost Visas 🔺

If travel fraud had a capital city, it would be Iyana-Ipaja. This spot has become infamous for street-side visa hustlers serving up bogus travel packages like hot akara.

In one case, a hopeful traveler dropped ₦450,000 for a “sure Dubai visa,” and all he got was heartbreak and 18 missed calls. Locals on forums like Reddit and Nairaland constantly flag this area as a scam magnet, where “offices” often double as bar joints or betting shops.

Warning sign: If your agent’s desk is next to a suya stand, you’re not going to Heathrow — you’re heading for heartbreak.

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2. Surulere (Mushin/Otun-Oba) – The Pepper Soup of Passport Scams 🌶️📄

Surulere may look peaceful, but the travel fraud here is spicy. A man named Kenneth Udemba was accused of scamming two people out of ₦1.2 million with promises of Australian and Danish visas.

His playbook? Dress to impress, flaunt “visa samples,” and vanish into thin air. If your “agent” can’t produce a CAC registration and works off a bench near a bus stop, that’s not a travel office — it’s a setup.

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3. Lagos Island (Tinubu, CMS) – Where Your Money Sets Sail 🌊

Yes, this is the business heart of Lagos — but also a scammer’s paradise in a suit. In 2022, one Faustina Okonkwo reportedly made ₦4.6 million disappear, all while promising “express” Canadian entry (which only seemed to be express for her bank account).

And in 2024, another big name — Balogun Olamide Yusuf — allegedly vanished with ₦11 million from clients before the EFCC came knocking.

Lesson: Just because it’s on the Island doesn’t mean it’s legit.

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4. Festac / Iyana-Iba – Cyber Cafés Masquerading as Embassies 💻🚫

In these parts, travel “consultants” operate from shady internet cafés where the same printer used to forge WAEC results is now busy generating fake LMIA job letters and visa documents.

If your agent’s business card is a Gmail address and their office is a plastic table next to a printer, you might as well be burning your money. Even Google Maps can’t locate these “agencies.”

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5. Social Media “Agencies” – The Instagram Illusion 📱💨

If all you see is an Instagram page full of passport stamps and success stories with no office address or real contact info — that’s your red flag.

Accounts like @visa__miracle or @sky_uk_jobs247 pull people in with ridiculously cheap packages. Once you pay? Silence. No face, no refund, and their “agency” disappears faster than light in Lagos during a thunderstorm.

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💡 Why Do People Still Get Scammed?

Desperation to escape (Japa fever): When the dream is big, people overlook the warning signs.

Ridiculous offers: UK job + visa + free apartment for ₦400k? Think again.

Zero verification: Most victims never check if the agency is registered with CAC or NANTA.

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✅ How to Protect Yourself – Japa Safely With This Quick Checklist:

Step Why It Matters

✅ Ask for CAC or NANTA registration Legit agents are never shy to show it

✅ Demand a physical office “I work remotely” means “I vanish easily”

✅ Never pay everything upfront Real travel consultants allow installment payments

✅ Google them Look for reviews on Nairaland, Reddit, X (Twitter)

✅ Avoid bus-stop agents Real migration journeys don’t start under umbrellas

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💬 Real Lagosians Share:

> “My guy gave ₦600k to one agent in Iyana-Ipaja. Now he’s running a POS shop waiting for ‘processing.’” — Ugo, Surulere

> “They showed my cousin a ‘UK visa’ but we later saw the same Canva template on Instagram.” — Sarah, Festac

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👏 Final Note from Eyes of Lagos:

The dream of relocating is valid. But don’t let that dream become a tragedy. Some of these “agents” wear suits and hold clipboards, but behind the tie is a Yahoo boy with Google Docs.

Stay sharp. Ask questions. Trust facts, not vibes. A

nd if you’re standing at Iyana-Ipaja thinking about your “agent”… just carry your slippers and run.