Travel agent arrested in Salamanca for defrauding pensioners of €40,000
The National Police have arrested a woman accused of defrauding more than 80 pensioners by charging them for trips and accommodation that never took place. The victims were unable to contact the agency or access their hotel reservations.
Fraud in package holidays
According to El Mundo, the National Police have arrested a travel agent in Salamanca accused of defrauding more than 80 pensioners for a sum exceeding €40,000. The investigation began when the president of a pensioners' association booked a week-long trip to the coast for around 60 people in February, with a departure date in September.
After making several payments in the months following the booking, the association's representative attempted to contact the agency as the departure date approached. She was unable to communicate with the business owner. When she contacted the destination hotel to verify the reservation, she was informed that there was no payment registered under her group's name.
Complaints multiplied at Salamanca police stations. Individual citizens reported having been victims of the same agency in similar circumstances. The affected parties had paid amounts exceeding €1,000 per stay, but upon arriving at the accommodation they discovered that the agency had never paid for the reservations.
In the cases involving associations, those affected were unable to take the trips at all. In cases involving individuals, the fraud was discovered at the hotel, when they checked and found that the reservation paid to the agency was not recorded in the system.
The initial complaint was filed at Ávila police stations, which transferred the case to Salamanca as the agency was located there. Following investigative steps, officers identified the person responsible, verified that the business was closed, located the arrested woman and brought her before the courts.
Source: El Mundo