It is almost instinctive that when someone approaches you with a warm smile, you assume you know them. You smile back, exchange greetings, and search your memory for a name or face that fits, yet a sense of uncertainty remains.

It is in that brief moment of hesitation that they strike, taking advantage of your politeness, confusion, and the human tendency to trust familiarity.

Jimmy Muhima thought he was helping someone he knew. The businessman was walking through the corridors of CHIC Building in downtown Kigali when a man approached him and struck up a warm conversation.

The stranger spoke confidently, claiming Muhima's and his families had known each other for years. "He said we knew each other from way back through family links,” Muhima recalls.

The loopholes

As they chatted, the neatly dressed young man explained that he was preparing to leave Rwanda for further studies in Canada. He said he had been shopping for items for his departure but had run short of money, and needed one last item: a Bible.

"The story sounded so real and believable,” recalls Muhima. Moved by the request, he handed over Rwf12,000, reasoning that few would refuse to help a young man going abroad.

The incident might have faded from memory had Muhima not encountered the same man two months later. While moving through town, he came face-to-face with him again. This time, the stranger repeated the same introduction, once more claiming family connections.

"As soon as I busted him, he took off,” Muhima recalls, adding that he has since seen him several times around town, including at events and different locations.

Muhima’s experience is not isolated. Across Kigali’s busy commercial centres, shopping malls, and markets, residents report being approached by strangers who purport to be known to them.

Some pose as former classmates, distant relatives, old colleagues, or family friends. Others gradually build trust by becoming familiar faces before requesting money, goods, or assistance.

These encounters are typically brief and convincing, but for many victims they end with the realization that the relationship was entirely fabricated.

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A well-dressed stranger

Emmanuel Murenzi Junior had a similar encounter took place in downtown Kigali.

A well-dressed man approached him with a smile and began speaking freely as though they had known each other for years. "Don’t you remember me?” the stranger asked. Murenzi, aware of how awkward it can be to deny knowing someone who appears to recognise you, engaged cautiously while trying to place him.

Despite his hesitation, the man quickly referenced a secondary school they supposedly attended together and mentioned several people they mutually knew. The conversation soon felt convincing, even though Murenzi still could not identify where they might have met.

A few minutes later, the stranger said he had lost his wallet and needed transport money to get home. Wanting to help someone he believed he might know, Murenzi handed over the cash, only to later realise he had never met the man before.

"I kept trying to remember where we had met. Then it hit me. I had never seen him before,” he said, adding that this approach often relies on pressuring victims through guilt and social discomfort.

Trust built over time

Not every scam begins with a dramatic introduction. For Madina Mukase, a 29-year-old saleswoman, trust was built gradually.

A man frequently visited the shop where she worked and regularly paid in cash, eventually becoming a familiar customer.

"He would always come to the shop and buy things using cash,” she says.

One day, he returned with a request to take several items and promised to pay later that evening.

Believing she was dealing with a trusted customer, Mukase agreed. He left with two perfumes, three shirts, and two pairs of jeans.

Hours passed, but he never returned. When she tried to verify his identity, she found that no one else actually knew him.

"When I asked in the direction he usually came from, they said they also saw him around but didn’t know where he worked from. The phone number he left behind was not going through,” she said.

By then, both the man and the merchandise were gone, leaving Mukase to cover the cost from her salary. He has never returned to the shop.

A scam built on familiarity

The stories and tricks differ, but they share a common pattern. The scammer first creates trust before making a request.

Sometimes the trust comes from a fabricated personal connection. Other times it comes from repeated interactions that create the illusion of familiarity. In each case, the objective is the same: lower the target&039;s guard and make them accept the scammer's request for a favour.

Unlike online scams that rely on buggy links, hacked accounts or fraudulent messages, these encounters happen face-to-face. Victims are not tricked by technology. They are persuaded by confidence.

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In busy areas such as CHIC, MIC, Nyarugenge Market, the former UTC site, commercial centres, hotel and restaurants, people interviewed for this article described encounters with strangers who appeared familiar.

Some of these individuals are sophisticated scammers who, often well-dressed and polite, are in hotel and restaurants or similar venues, where they approach unsuspecting victims.

They typically request small amounts of money for transport, financial assistance, or goods on credit.

While the sums involved are usually small, victims say the emotional impact is often greater than the financial loss. Many are left questioning their judgment, while others become more cautious around strangers, even in situations where help may be genuinely needed.

The changing face of fraud

The experiences also highlight how fraud continues to evolve. In recent years, Rwandans have become increasingly familiar with digital scams involving mobile money, fake promotions, impersonation and social media fraud.

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Authorities have repeatedly warned the public about fraudsters who use deception to obtain money and personal information.

RIB has previously cautioned the public against sharing personal information, verification codes, responding to suspicious requests for money and engaging with individuals impersonating trusted institutions.

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Fraudsters have also been known to impersonate telecom companies, government agencies and service providers in order to gain access to victims' accounts or convince them to transfer money.

The "familiar stranger" represents another variation of the same trick.

For victims, that can make the deception much harder to detect. After all, most people are prepared to be cautious around complete strangers. Few expect to be deceived by someone who seems familiar.

As Kigali continues to grow and social interactions become increasingly fast-paced, these encounters reveal how easily trust can be manufactured, and how quickly kindness can be exploited.