Ticket Racketeers Resurface At PH Airport 

Flights ticket racketeers, otherwise known as Ticket fraudstars, have again reappeared at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, and have continued in their nefarious activities of defrauding air passengers that are not very conversant with air travel processes.
The Tide observed that therefrundstars have again taken their positions within the departure entrance gate, as they parade within the area seeking for those that will fall prey to their fraudulent deals.
Their operational style has always been to lure their victims to a nearby fast-food joint to strike a deal, and to assure the passenger that they will get boarding pass and other travelling papers for their luggage, but will in the process introduce all forms of charges that are unknown to air travels.
Many of the times, argument had ensued between them and the passenger(s), on the extra huge sum they have to pay, but they do everything to convince the passenger to believe in them, since they can get the pass in collaboration with their alleys working in those airlines, whom they share the proceeds with.
On Friday, The Tide observed how one of their victims was having a sharp argument with them at the front of a fast-food joint at the airport, on why he must pay such huge amount.
“Something you will demand the sum of N500, you people are telling me to bring N5,000. Come and collect N50,000”, the victim muttered in anger, as he walked away.
For more than five months ago, these racketeering operations were stopped after a report on it was done on this medium, following which some airport security personnel arrested some of them, while others ran away.
The Tide gathered that the closeness to the Yuletide season is drawing them back to hit some quick cash.
Meanwhile, one of their kingpin, popularly known as Clinton, on Friday, boasted that he had invested the money he made in that deal on landed property.
Clinton, while interacting with aviation correspondents on his noticeable absence at the airport for a long time, claimed he is never deterred in anything he has made up his mind to do.
“The money I made through this business, and the sale of nosemask has fetched me two plots of land at Isiokpo in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State”, he said.

By: Corlins Walter