http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=576
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3082
The guy pictured in the second link (Jackie Ngubeni) appeared to be known to the chess community and even the likes of Short/Chessbase (or so you would think). Whilst there are legitimate events a GM could be easily taken for a ride as the poor GM discovered. It gives a very bad image of South Africa.
Jennifer Shahade did not appear to be doing too badly in South Africa :- http://beta.uschess.org/frontend/blog_23_39.php A genuine Chess holiday would allow one to see the lions and what not and also play chess.
Jennifer Shahade wrote the book "Chess Bitch" and is loved and hated in some quarters.
Originally posted by KunsooI agree, this seems like a typical "Advance Fee Fraud".
Geeze. Actually, I'd have expected a GM to be a little smarter. Does he also answer the e-mails from Nigeria asking him to hold money in his bank account?
It smelt like a scam from the beginning but I guess if you have a genuine desire to help and are a professional you can be taken in this way after all I (too often) take on work for clients and incur costs and they don't then pay me.
Such is life in business and you cannot always avoid the sharks.