Travel influencer allegedly scams woman of ₦5.4M for Albanian work visa, fails to deliver

A troubling case of alleged fraud has emerged in the travel industry, with a Nigerian woman claiming she was scammed out of ₦5.4 million by a popular travel influencer, Enare Bong (@petitenare), who runs the Instagram account @instaG0travels.

The payment was made between February and May 2024 for an Albanian work visa that has yet to materialize, leaving the customer, Abimbola Azeezat, frustrated and seeking a refund.

The full story was shared publicly on social media, where the receipt for the ₦5.4 million payment was posted alongside detailed explanations of the dealings between Azeezat and Bong.

According to Azeezat, her initial contact with @instaG0travels was recommended by a travel influencer in February 2024.

Bong, the operator behind the travel agency, reportedly informed Azeezat that obtaining an Albanian work visa would cost €4,000, but the upfront payment requirement was 60%, which amounted to ₦3 million at the current exchange rate.

Azeezat complied with the payment, transferring ₦2 million in February and an additional ₦1 million in March. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse when no further progress was made on the visa application, and Bong failed to provide any substantial updates or services.

Despite being asked whether she would refund the money for services undelivered, Bong allegedly continued to delay the process and offer alternative, unreasonable suggestions that left Azeezat in a state of confusion and disappointment.

By May, Azeezat paid the remaining ₦2.4 million, totaling ₦5.4 million, but still no visa had been processed, and there was no indication that the promised service would be delivered.

The situation escalated further as Bong reportedly stopped responding to Azeezat’s inquiries and failed to honor promises of a refund. In fact, according to screenshots shared on social media, Bong repeatedly delayed the refund date, with promises of repayment being pushed back multiple times, only to be ignored or disregarded.

What was especially disturbing for Azeezat was the series of other visa options that Bong allegedly tried to push on her, none of which seemed viable. In one instance, Bong allegedly suggested a “digital nomad visa,” despite Azeezat’s limited educational background.

In another case, Bong suggested an “Olympic visa,” just as the upcoming Olympics approached, but when Azeezat inquired about the expiration of the visa (which was valid for only 20 days), Bong reportedly told her that she could “seek asylum” afterward. This unusual and impractical advice raised more alarm bells for Azeezat, who became increasingly suspicious of Bong’s intentions.

Perhaps the most telling sign of Bong’s inability or unwillingness to deliver on the service paid for was her repeated assurances that Azeezat would be refunded by the end of October or early November 2024—promises that came and went without any resolution.

Despite pleading with Bong, even offering to accept 40% of the refund, Azeezat was told that the money was in the hands of Bong’s “employer.” However, according to information found on Bong’s social media, her profile claims that she is the owner of @instaG0travels, casting doubt on who is truly responsible for the ongoing situation.

As Azeezat’s frustrations grew, she shared her experience on social media, warning others to be cautious when dealing with @instaG0travels.

Her story has since gone viral, with numerous individuals expressing their outrage and support for her in the comment section.

FULL STATEMENT

“I’m going to start this thread with receipt of ₦5.4 million paid to Enare Bong @petitenare of @instaG0travels between February and May 2024 for Albanian Work Visa.”

“I’m doing this for two reasons:”

“1. So that other people will not fall into this Venus flytrap.”

“2. So that the lady, Abimbola Azeezat gets her money back.”

“In February, a travel influencer recommended @instaG0travels and Azeez Abimbola messaged them.”

“@petitenare told her that Albanian work visa would cost her €4,000 but she would need to pay 60% upfront. 60% of it then was ₦3 million. She paid ₦2M in February and ₦1M in March as you can see in the receipt above.”

“Meanwhile, Enare was asked if she would refund for services undelivered, as shown in the screenshot here. By May, the lady paid the remaining ₦2.4 million but nothing has shown since.”

“Since then, it has been a cascade of disappointments and frustration. She either promises refund and defaults, or try to subtly enforce other types of difficult arrangements that doesn’t make sense on her.”

“In slide 1, you can see Spain, Mauritius and digital nomad visa mentioned. She knows that this lady stopped at primary school, yet she’s suggesting “digital nomad”

“In slide 2, she’s asking the lady to take Olympic Visa when the Olympics was approaching. She sent it as a “view once” but the lady was smart enough to take a picture with another phone. When asked about what would happen after the visa expires (20 days), she said the lady can seek asylum. I don’t want to laugh.”

“In the last line of slide 1, you can see the disappointment after she mentioned that they would be refunded by October ending/early November. It means this is not the first time she’s postponing the refund.”

“From the series of unreasonable options she’s trying to force on Abimbola, it’s obvious she cannot deliver what she was paid for. Why isn’t she willing to refund. The lady even cried in her DM for her to refund even if it is 40% but she’s claiming her employer is with the money. Meanwhile, on her profile @drpaulenenche claims she owns @instaG0travels . Who is now the employer?”

As the post goes viral, concerned individuals who came about it stormed the comment page to share their thoughts.

See some reactions below:

@Transporterr_: “Oloriburuku ni ọpọlọpọ àwọn people yìí. Acting as if they wine and dine with the consulate or the country’s ambassador meanwhile dem no get levels.”

@AbimbolaAzeez20: “She lives in France. But currently in ikom cross River she came and does weddings federal housing estate.”

@dappillo1: “Truly… School no be scam. Only if she knew that, Albanians themselves wan jàpá go western Europe, comot for their kontree..A country in which Nigerian embassy, as worse they can be, their presence no dey… ignorance na bastard.”

@jamiu_akanbi: “Thanks 👍👍 you for bringing this issue up to the public, I do have same experience with one them, which they also promised to return money if you can continue the process,till today no refund have been made, over a year.”

@kenonugbor: “So many people have been scammed with this whole japa thing, and it’s so sad.”

@Mikaheelabdkabi: “An average man will do something tangible with ₦5.4m in this country. Japa mantra is affecting our way of thinking.”

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