Hello Nlanders,

Would anyone need any kind of legal service in exchange for a one way ticket to the US. I am American citizen,holding a valid US passport but sadly stranded in Lagos,Nigeria.I already paid several visits to the US Consulate in lagos. They wouldn't help me because I don't have a SSN on record.My parents forgot to get it for me before returning to Nigeria.

I'll be more than welcome to exchange my service and your satisfaction for transport back to the US.

If your story is true, how did you get a valid U.S. passport without a social security number in the first place?

im sorry but i dont believe you because to have a passport, you must have a social security number/card to submit when you put in your application for a passport. Also if you have a birth certificate you can send all your info to the social security admin and they will look you up and if you dont have a SSN they will give you one because they will be happy to research where you were born and make sure you have the identification you need. Lastly a few months ago someone had this same exact issue with the same complications everyone jumped in to advice but that person disappeared i wonder if it is you again

omega25red:

im sorry but i dont believe you because to have a passport, you must have a social security number/card to submit when you put in your application for a passport. Also if you have a birth certificate you can send all your info to the social security admin and they will look you up and if you dont have a SSN they will give you one because they will be happy to research where you were born and make sure you have the identification you need. Lastly a few months ago someone had this same exact issue with the same complications everyone jumped in to advice but that person disappeared i wonder if it is you again

Thats true. https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=477016.msg6363731#msg6363731, its the same person.

justwise:

[/b]

Thats true. https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=477016.msg6363731#msg6363731, its the same person.

i guess the money he got the last time has run out then

^^^

possible

justwise:

[/b]

Thats true. https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=477016.msg6363731#msg6363731, its the same person.

Justwise and Omega 25red: Very true

I did seek for advice from this forum. I actually did send notarized copies of my birth certificate and passport by registered mail to the New York office of the Social Security Administration and followed it up by e-mail. That was in Feb'2008.Got no reply till date.I later found out from the SSA website that they have since stopped correspondence by e-mail.Apparently for security reasons. Actually I wanted to do things my own way,but what can you do if you can't secure a job.I was trained as a microbiologist.Graduated from the University Of Ado-Ekiti last year. Was posted to Bauchi state. Couldn't complete the service year because of the"boko haram" incident. I even gathered security report from the Consulate before going to Bauchi. It's as if they knew before we knew in Nigeria.Even with your School certificate and NYSC discharge certificate,chances of getting a job in Nigeria is very slim. My Mum, she is my only parent. She's a pensioner.She received her last payment May'09

omega25red:

i guess the money he got the last time has run out then

I didnt get any money. I got my passport in 2008 and graduated in 2009. If I was patient enough to do my project work,graduate and get called up for national service, would you see as a scam artist.


My cause is a genuine one, A good name is better than silver or gold.

Mafe, we would like to believe you. But can you please explain how you got a passport in the first place without a SSN?

JeSoul:

Mafe, we would like to believe you. But can you please explain how you got a passport in the first place without a SSN?

well we await your answer

you explained your abcense from the forum but you still haven't explained the big question of how you got the passport if you have no SSN for that matter you said you got it in 2008 which means you must have had a SSN card for sure. Your story sounds suspect

omega25red and JeSoul: Thanks for your follow-up and concern.

Now to my explanation:

When I began processing a re-issue of my passport, I only had my birth certificate,some vital information such as (Hospital of Birth,Place of birth,Time of birth,Residence, from my Mum) my school certificates,a few growing up pictures and a genealogy printout from www.ancestry.com. (If you have the time,you can look up some of my records with my name initials D.A with D.O.B 23/01/19xx

JeSoul:

Mafe, we would like to believe you. But can you please explain how you got a passport in the first place without a SSN?

At the US Consulate inner office,I was given a form which I filled with perosnal information. None of which requested my SSN.My passport photograph was attached to the form and I was made to swear in front of an Attorney right there in the office. There after I was told to go pay passport processing fees. I was told to expect my passport in two weeks time. It was after I picked up my passport that I was told that I still needed to have my SSN.That the passport is just a travel document unlike the SSN which is more or less a person's life. I was told you need it to do vital things such as opening bank accounts, getting a driver's license,applying for loans e.t.c

I remember been told that I was likely to be issued my SSN.The problem could be that my parents had forgotten the number.I don't think my Mum remembered that.I was also told that I needed to get back to the US to process one and that it would take between 2 to 4 weeks to get one. I was reliably told that The Social Security Administration had no administrative support for Nigeria or any other African country and that the US State of Department and the Social Security Administration are 2 different US agencies minding their own business.

After paying several frustrating visits to the Consular office,someone advised me to make US Dept. Of State notarized copies of my passport and birth certificate and send by registered courier to their office. I did as told,paid for notarization at the US Consulate,sent the documents via EMS Speedpost and tracked it online. Till today I haven't heard anything.

You can even get comprehensive information about me from the FPU Section/US Consulate,Lagos Nigeria.

I am not a scam artist. I am just reaching out for help. As soon as I get my SSN,apply for a credit card(never applied for one;so that should qualify me for a Good/Excellent Credit rating) I'll be able to payback definitely,even with interest.

Mafe, the spambot 'deleted' your last post. I will send a msg to the admin to untag it so everyone can see it. Sit tight, I'll be back.

I dont understand the use of all this long story ooo the young dude needs money for ticket so he can come to his motherland if una wan help am make una help am if una no wan help am then stop making this dude release personal info in the bid to convince pple that wont still help him at the end of the day, guy go and do a research on the cheapest ticket to the US lets start contributing money for you simple and if u be scam the money go choke u oooo,

ciao

dont you have any US based relatives who could help you out?

JeSoul,Tpiah and Dantecmu: Thank you all for your comments.

I don't have any US based relatives who could help. My Mum is my only relative.My close network of friends are still seeking job employment.You know how Nigeria is!

Dantecmu,thank you for your warm comment. I did as you suggested,surfed sites such as British Airways, AirFrance,Arik and Emirates. The cheapest airticket and destination was for Emirates Airlines. A one way ticket to New York (JFK) from Lagos (LOS),Departing Sunday, 31 October, 2010 would cost: USD 1012.05 which would translate to about #152,000. Payment was to be made into a dedicated Emirates Nigeria Account with either Zenith Bank or UBA.

mafe23:

omega25red and JeSoul: Thanks for your follow-up and concern.

Now to my explanation:

When I began processing a re-issue of my passport, I only had my birth certificate,some vital information such as (Hospital of Birth,Place of birth,Time of birth,Residence, from my Mum) my school certificates,a few growing up pictures and a genealogy printout from www.ancestry.com. (If you have the time,you can look up some of my records with my name: ______________________ ,hence the user name MAFE23).


At the US Consulate inner office,I was given a form which I filled with perosnal information. None of which requested my SSN.My passport photograph was attached to the form and I was made to swear in front of an Attorney right there in the office. There after I was told to go pay passport processing fees. I was told to expect my passport in two weeks time. It was after I picked up my passport that I was told that I still needed to have my SSN.That the passport is just a travel document unlike the SSN which is more or less a person's life. I was told you need it to do vital things such as opening bank accounts, getting a driver's license,applying for loans e.t.c

I remember been told that I was likely to be issued my SSN.The problem could be that my parents had forgotten the number.I don't think my Mum remembered that.I was also told that I needed to get back to the US to process one and that it would take between 2 to 4 weeks to get one. I was reliably told that The Social Security Administration had no administrative support for Nigeria or any other African country and that the US State of Department and the Social Security Administration are 2 different US agencies minding their own business.

After paying several frustrating visits to the Consular office,someone advised me to make US Dept. Of State notarized copies of my passport and birth certificate and send by registered courier to their office. I did as told,paid for notarization at the US Consulate,sent the documents via EMS Speedpost and tracked it online. Till today I haven't heard anything.

For correspondence btw SSA and I and even a scanned copy of my US passport,do send/post your e-mail address. Mine's is :aiyesweet@gmail.com. You can even get comprehensive information about me from the FPU Section/US Consulate,Lagos Nigeria.

I am not a scam artist. I am just reaching out for help. As soon as I get my SSN,apply for a credit card(never applied for one;so that should qualify me for a Good/Excellent Credit rating) I'll be able to payback definitely,even with interest.

David Aiyedun.

Hmm. . . I want to believe that a scammer would not be able to concoct such a story with details. Mafe don't be upset we're questioning you so bluntly. I'm sure you're aware of how corruption is rife in Nigeria, we are suspicious of any and all stories - ditto to Dantecmu as well. We're just being overly cautious oh, no blame us.

  Mafe, no vex ehn, but few more questions. what kind of legal service do you want to offer? and also how do you intend to offer it long distance to folks in the US? Once you get back to the US what is your game plan? do you have a place to go to? a place to live? a job you can live off from? I mean what is your plan? or is this a leap of faith into the dark? Sorry for all the questions, feel free not to answer whatever you don't want to.

@JeSoul

I'm not surprised at the series of questions.I quite understand.Corruption is Global.It's just that it's become more of a norm,here in Nigeria.

In my quest to return to the US,I discovered online that it was possible to travel as an Air Courier for Courier companies such as FEDEX,UPS and DHL. I followed the idea up and even contacted FEDEX,UPS and DHL.Only UPS replied. They told me that they wouldn't be needing such a service.

MY PLAN IN THE US:

Place to go: I am a registered member of these sites: www.couchsurfing.com and www.hospitalityclub.org. These two groups are a volunteer-based worldwide network connecting travelers with members of local communities, who offer free accommodation and/or advice.The plan here is to hang out with a host pending the receipt of my SSN,which now takes me to plan (Place to Live)


Place to live: I intend to register as a member of www.wwoof.org/usa i.e as soon as I get my SSN. World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (also known as Willing Workers on Organic Farms) (WWOOF) is a loose network of national organisations which facilitate the placement of volunteers on organic farms.The plan here is to put in 5-6 hrs of work for 5days in exchange for accomodation and fresh fruits,vegetables,poultry,meat and milk to nourish my body.At the same time study to pass SAT because my UNAD certificate is more or less useless over there

WWOOF’s aims to provide volunteers with first-hand experience in organic and ecologically sound growing methods to help the organic movement, and to let volunteers experience life in a rural setting or a different country. WWOOF volunteers ('WWOOFers') generally do not receive any financial payment. The host provides food, accommodation and opportunities to learn, in exchange for assistance with farming or gardening activities. The duration of the visit can range from a few days to years. Workdays average 5–6 hours and participants interact with other WWOOFers from various countries.

A job I can live from: I intend to go into internet marketing,majorly production and selling of ebooks on Ebay and ClickBank,selling of kindle materials on Amazon too.

My major plan is to go back to school,in February 2011. I hope to be trained as a Biological Systems Engineer at Virginia Technology,Blacksburg Virginia. With my degree in General Microbiology from UNAD and surfing of the internet coupled with recent trends in energy plus the fact that Google has a new subsidiary known as "Google Energy" the future is definitely in "Green Energy"

As it is now,the only brick wall hindering my progress is the airfare.

JeSoul:

Hmm. . . I want to believe that a scammer would not be able to concoct such a story with details. Mafe don't be upset we're questioning you so bluntly. I'm sure you're aware of how corruption is rife in Nigeria, we are suspicious of any and all stories - ditto to Dantecmu as well. We're just being overly cautious oh, no blame us.

Mafe, no vex ehn, but few more questions. what kind of legal service do you want to offer? and also how do you intend to offer it long distance to folks in the US? Once you get back to the US what is your game plan? do you have a place to go to? a place to live? a job you can live off from? I mean what is your plan? or is this a leap of faith into the dark? Sorry for all the questions, feel free not to answer whatever you don't want to.

Good question

@omega25red

MY PLAN IN THE US:

Place to go: I am a registered member of these sites: www.couchsurfing.com and www.hospitalityclub.org. These two groups are a volunteer-based worldwide network connecting travelers with members of local communities, who offer free accommodation and/or advice.The plan here is to hang out with a host pending the receipt of my SSN,which now takes me to plan (Place to Live)


Place to live: I intend to register as a member of www.wwoof.org/usa i.e as soon as I get my SSN. World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (also known as Willing Workers on Organic Farms) (WWOOF) is a loose network of national organisations which facilitate the placement of volunteers on organic farms.The plan here is to put in 5-6 hrs of work for 5days in exchange for accomodation and fresh fruits,vegetables,poultry,meat and milk to nourish my body.At the same time study to pass SAT because my UNAD certificate is more or less useless over there

WWOOF’s aims to provide volunteers with first-hand experience in organic and ecologically sound growing methods to help the organic movement, and to let volunteers experience life in a rural setting or a different country. WWOOF volunteers ('WWOOFers') generally do not receive any financial payment. The host provides food, accommodation and opportunities to learn, in exchange for assistance with farming or gardening activities. The duration of the visit can range from a few days to years. Workdays average 5–6 hours and participants interact with other WWOOFers from various countries.

A job I can live from: I intend to go into internet marketing,majorly production and selling of ebooks on Ebay and ClickBank,selling of kindle materials on Amazon too.

My major plan is to go back to school,in February 2011. I hope to be trained as a Biological Systems Engineer at Virginia Technology,Blacksburg Virginia. With my degree in General Microbiology from UNAD and surfing of the internet coupled with recent trends in energy plus the fact that Google has a new subsidiary known as "Google Energy" the future is definitely in "Green Energy"

I say thank you to all who responded to my call.

If you want to contact me, this is my e-mail: aiyesweet@gmail.com

David

Mafe, thank you for answering all our questions. I think you have eased the fears of those reading. You missed out the first bit of my question which is pretty much the topic of your post. What kind of legal service can you offer long distance? I know one or two people that may be interested depending on what kind of legal service you have to offer.

@ Jesoul

I appreciate your vote of confidence. Thank you.

I will like to offer any kind of LEGAL service (that doesn't get me into trouble with the law).

I don't really have one in mind. That is why I came to this forum to seek advice.

I am prepared to offer my service/services in exchange for a means of traveling back to the States.

Thanks.

David

@ JeSoul

Thanks for your concern and help. May Jehovah GOD repay your kindness.

David

well, i think your major need, from what you outlined, is money.

money for the ticket and some cash to tide you over till you settle down.

someone has made a rental accomodation offer here:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-529522.0.html

_{though getting work in atlanta is a bit tough.}

as per the ticket- you might have to see if you can raise a loan from people in nigeria or abroad.

are you married? engaged? dating? can your SO also help?

church members?

^^Nice one Tpiah.

Mafe, don't thank me as I have not done anything to help you yet. I am going to ask around and send a couple emails and see if anyone can help at all.

@ JeSoul

Could you post your e-mail address. I would like to forward a scanned copy of my international passport.

@ Tpiah

I am still single. It's kind of hard for a young dude to hook up with a lady in this economic ravaged Nigeria.

My Church members, that is another story on its own

mafe23:

I am still single. It's kind of hard for a young dude to hook up with a lady in this economic ravaged Nigeria.

hmm, citizens of other of other countries are usually hotcakes though.

i'd have thought women would be all over you unless they dont know you have papers?

Nigerians are very nice people and I just wonder why other countries tag us with bad image, I am saying this because you all bought his story but believe it or not something is not clean about this guy, I am not against him but this story is trash and I will advice nairalanders not to part with any money under any circumstances and if you really want to help,it will be better to give the money to the motherless and not this intelligent dude, Stop buying his story even with all his narrative, If you need money for ticket,all you need to do is to be patient and work for it, Its not a big deal,

@ saridon_p

YES! Nigerians are very nice people. Someone very kindhearted responded to my cry and made an impact on my soul. Dee,I can't thank you enough for sending some amount of money while also corresponding with me via phone.If not for your wish for anonymity,I would have gladly written the initials of your name. Thank you so so much.May GOD replenish you.

@ saridon_p

I am not a lazy person. If you know of anyone who passed through the University Of Ado-Ekiti between the years 2000 and 2009,asked them of how it was like. We were trained to be hardworking,intelligent (just like you said) and tough. Don't know if that tradition is still there.If you have a job to assist a brother with(got no sure connections of my own,you sort of need it in Nigeria),I'll be so greatful to work my way back to the States.

@ Jesoul

Are you my anonymous helper, I haven't heard from you for sometime now

@mafe23

the one part i couldn't find in your story is how are you going to pay back in plain terms. we are not here for dreams. $1k+ is not small change, well to me.

@LoveKing

I hope to pay back by applying for a low interest credit card, Simmons First Visa Platinum with my Social Security Number which has never been used and thus sort of qualifies me for a Good/Excellent credit rating. I WILL effect payment of the loan from the use of the credit card.

You can read up more about this on: http://credit.about.com/od/creditcardreviews/fr/Simmons-First-National-Bank-Visa-Platinum-Card-Review.htm

I also hope to get a job in states such as Virginia,Washington DC,North Carolina and Colorado.I found out online that you could still get a job in this states

mafe23:

@LoveKing

I hope to pay back by applying for a low interest credit card, Simmons First Visa Platinum with my Social Security Number which has never been used and thus sort of qualifies me for a Good/Excellent credit rating. I WILL effect payment of the loan from the use of the credit card.

You can read up more about this on: http://credit.about.com/od/creditcardreviews/fr/Simmons-First-National-Bank-Visa-Platinum-Card-Review.htm

I also hope to get a job in states such as Virginia,Washington DC,North Carolina and Colorado.I found out online that you could still get a job in this states

How are you going to get a credit card without a good credit history and without a job


Either please tell me this is a joke or pass me some of what you are smoking please, it seems to good to be true

Busy_body:



How are you going to get a credit card without a good credit history and without a job


Either please tell me this is a joke or pass me some of what you are smoking please, it seems to good to be true

Believe it or not, it is possible. Just that the interest rate will be very high.

Mafe, check your inbox.