A growing number of Nigerian residents in the United States have fallen victim to a passport scam orchestrated by a Texas-based man identified only as “KO”, who allegedly defrauded citizens of thousands of dollars under the guise of a Nigerian passport intervention exercise.

The suspect, presenting himself as a clergyman and “Prophet of the Most High God,” reportedly operates through Global Tours and Partyride LLC, promoting a so-called “Passport Intervention Program”. Flyers advertising the service listed the phone number +1(682) 717-3360, which was unreachable at the time of reporting. Attempts to contact him via Facebook Messenger were also unsuccessful.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has disavowed the man’s activities, stating he is neither a staff member nor an authorized vendor. A senior NIS official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the fraudster is being tracked, but noted challenges in locating him after he abandoned his listed phone line and vacated his address.

The official stressed that many Nigerians, including those in the diaspora, fall prey to such scams because of the desire for “quick fixes”, even when the government provides fully digital, legitimate avenues for passport applications.

“Most of our processes are digitized. Payments can be made online after filling the necessary forms. Nigerians, both at home and abroad, have been using this option successfully. It is simple – visit our website and follow the prompts,” the official said.

He explained that the scammer exploited trust by initially assisting some applicants with online payments before absconding with funds from others. “If applicants had paid directly online and provided evidence of payment, we could have processed their passports. Unfortunately, this man tried to drag the Service into his scheme,” he added.

The NIS has pledged to launch a fresh sensitization campaign to inform Nigerians about the digital application process, reiterating that no staff collects money in person and that no intermediaries or agents are authorized. Applicants are strongly advised to complete all passport and e-visa applications directly through the official NIS website.