I was scammed a few years ago, precisely in December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn't an internet scam—I was more cautious about that. It was one that happened physically and probably with some charm added to it. I had always told myself I was wise enough to notice when whatever I was dealing with was a scam, but unfortunately I was wrong. Just when I felt I knew it all, came the surprise of my life, and this only made me wiser and more cautious when dealing with men of cunning words and deceptive tongues.
After our regular yearly reunion with old colleagues from college, I decided to call at a friend's place with the plan of celebrating the new year there. It was dusk when I arrived, and she directed me to meet her at her workplace, which I did. She entertained me with food and later gave me the key to her room to go rest while she stayed back until her closing hour, then met me at home. Unfortunately, I got lost trying to locate the house I'd visited before. I entered the same compound twice, but due to the nature of the compound, I had doubts and decided to trace the house from a church I once attended while I was there. I felt it was the easiest way to locate the house, not knowing I was leading myself to a place of slaughter.
Immediately upon arriving at the church, I got even more confused because it was already dark. While still trying to figure my way, a man approached me asking for directions, and I sincerely told him I was new and did not know the place. Almost immediately, while we were still talking, another man passed by and claimed to know the place, pointing in a direction. The man took a step as if leaving, then came back and called the man who had shown him the direction and started prophesying to him. Everything the man said was affirmed by the man who had given directions earlier. He turned and looked at me, then extended his hand to me for a handshake, thanking me for giving him a listening ear.
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I felt something like a chill wave enter my body when he shook my hand, but I didn't care. I only told myself that whatever he did wouldn't have an effect on me. I was about to leave when he started prophesying to me too. Unfortunately, nothing was relatable except a few things from random guesses. Then he walked a few metres away, acting as if he was going in the very direction the other man had shown him. When I was about to leave, the man standing with me suggested we follow that man, affirming that everything he had prophesied to him was right and telling me he may have certain words for me.
Reluctantly I accepted, and that's where I made a mistake. We followed him, and he acted as if he was surprised to see us. He started prophesying to me again, and to be honest, nothing he said made sense to me, but at that point I couldn't go back-it was as if I had no will of my own to break the chain. I followed them like a sheep being led to slaughter until we got to an isolated place. They asked me to drop whatever I was holding with them, then count a certain number of poles and return. Only then, they said, would the curse on my head be broken. I stood there reluctant to drop my items, but eventually I did. After counting the poles, I came back and realized they were gone. My bag, clothes, mobile phone, money, and even the key the girl gave to me were gone.
Right there I knew I was scammed-in a town where I was a stranger. To cut the story short, I located the girl's house at last. I didn't stay back for the new year festival, realized the scam pattern had been there for long, and it was me who wasn't informed about such a scheme. However, I became wiser when dealing with people after that incident.
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