Travel agent denies fraud over grounded clients
Cayman 123 Travel owner, Theresa Chin
(CNS) Updated: A local travel agency that appears to have gone bust and allegedly conned several people out of airfares for flights that it never secured has denied making fraudulent sales, pointing to ongoing issues with another travel agent and Cayman Airways. However, police have confirmed they are now investigating several reports of travellers being conned. Angry customers of Cayman 123 Travel who had been turned away at the airport were on the doorstep of the closed and possibly sunk local business on Tuesday but there were no refunds coming from the owner, Theresa Chin.
Although the shop was closed Tuesday, the website down and calls went unanswered, CNS was able to reach Chin Wednesday morning via Facebook. The owner of the travel agency said she was dealing with ongoing issues since December with a partner travel agency and the local airline but made no comment on the customers’ missing bookings or the cash they had stumped up for the tickets.
Chin denied any fraud or conning customers but refused to say, when asked, if she was trading without an IATA number – an international licence travel agents need to purchase airline tickets. Other sources suggest that Chin had used another agency to circumvent that problem and continue trading.
CNS contacted the RCIPS Financial Crimes Unit and late Tuesday evening an RCIPS spokesperson confirmed that reports had been made to the police. On Wednesday the police said that ten reports had been received since January 2015 concerning the travel agency.
“Currently, three of nine complaints are being looked into by the RCIPS,” the spokesperson said. “The other six complainants only requested their complaint to be logged and did not wish to pursue them at the time.” The officer confirmed that 12 reports in total had been made to the RCIPS since December 2014 but he believed that not everyone who may have lost money has come forward.
Last December the RCIPS received two reports around Christmas time but the police said they were resolved by the agent.
Other sources told CNS that this is by no means the first time that the agency has sold tickets to customers that were never booked and that the business has been in trouble for some time.
More than a dozen people congregated at the closed offices Tuesday when they were unable to board flights to Jamaica over the Easter break and were turned away at the check-in desk. Some passengers had booked months in advance but they were told by Cayman Airways staff at the airport that no payments had come through from the travel company for the tickets.
CNS has also contacted Cayman Airways and is awaiting a response.
04-8:56 – Because of the assumption that CAL Office books you on CAL and if you’re trying to go somewhere else why would you go to CAL to book you where they don’t fly?
a bit confused by your statement but if you’re implying that CAL can only book you to destinations that they fly into then you’re wrong.
Officials were put on notice what was happening yet they choose to ignore what they were told.
In the real world they would be held accountable but I am sure the DG passed it to eric whom passed it to Wesley who smiled and ignored the matter that is how it works in cayman
People they are more out there !!! Calling themselves Travel Agents!!!
I wonder if they really know what being a travel agent entails.
Back in the good old days when we had to do everything by hand and those C&W telex machines.
Let’s hope she doesn’t open up shop under another name!
When are my people going to learn that this Police apparatus ain’t here to help us it is now ruled and mandated to carry out the UK’s socio economic strategic agenda such matters are a mere nuisance and should be resolved by the natives. You doubt this theory look at who are assigned such cases and the importance or relevance given to such matters.
Wrong: the conspiracy of low performance standards and crime resolution is owed to legitimate police and public ineptitude, rather than a sinister UK plot. Any resemblance to the later is purely coincidental. We do it to ourselves.
Caymans motto should be “let the buyer beware”.
Why do people still choose to go to travel agencies to buy simple tickets? Just go straight to the Airlines or use a more reliable online booking like Expedia or something. I never trust none of this small travel agencies, I prefer booking everything myself even if it takes a lot of my time.
Shut them down!!!!
This is very sad! I have been a victim of the fraud and know of many others. It has nothing to do with socio-economic level or intelligence. We simply trusted this woman to do as she said. There were absolutely NO indications that he was not actually issuing the tickets and that she may have had her IATA license revoked twice. That should be a condition of her being in business and having a valid business license.
Then again … maybe she didn’t have one of those also! There is a serious question here of enforcement and who is doing something about it. Has the T&B every checked these companies to see if they have the respective industry licenses that are need to operate BEFORE issuing them a T&B license? Do they even care? Are sporadic checks done also?
Does the RCIPS care that a possible fraud and theft have occurred here? Whenever she comes under immense scrutiny she runs and finds the $$ to repay people. The convenience cannot be repaid. In some instances people have made reservations overseas or booked hotels or must reach their destination for specific reasons. If those things are missed or additional expenses incurred who will refund that? What about the inconvenience and stress there?
What about the credit fraud she allegedly perpetrated against Cayman Airways where she allegedly got $1.00 pre-authorization so they could issue the tickets but when they went to put in the full payment there were no funds on the credit cards? Why isn’t this allegation being fully investigated? – making sure I word this correctly so that CNS will publish it.
The consumers in the Cayman Islands have ABSOLUTELY NO CONSUMER PROTECTION and we are at the mercy of employers and businesses alike. No one does anything about it including the politicians we elect and pay to look out for us. It’s a sad state of affairs I say.
There are a lot of issues that stem from the actions of this business that need to be seriously addressed but once again the politicians are deafening silent on the matter!!
“Many notorious scandals” 9:50? Name them. I call BS on that. This appears to be a lower socio-economic appealing firm that should not even be allowed to operate. Not being a Jamaican or a lower socio-economic West Indian, I have not been able to find anyone who has even heard of this company let alone used it. The poor and simple minded must be protected.
Well considering they did massive advertising and also has a facebook page – again advertising their deals………… it is surprising you could not find anyone who even heard of the company………
The grand prize winner was Marcia Marlene Whittaker (nee Wiggin), charged with the theft of US$351,017.05 from Cayman Tours and Travel between June 1996 and December 1997. There have been others of varying severity since. This is well known Cayman history which you can google; and there are Grand Court Cause lists that are searchable.
So cops – you ,at have had notice of this for more than three months. How many may have fallen victim since. What is this: “We listen, we don’t act.”
Congratulations! You have finally figured out for yourself how Cayman Islands work.
What do the trade and business licensing authorities have to say? Nothing, as usual.
There have been many notorious scandals with Cayman Travel Agents over the decades, and I always scratch my head why anyone would have a need to volunteer this extra margin in an online economy – particularly those with so little extra money to risk.
Many of these low paid workers don’t have computers and internet connection at home, nor do they work in offices where there is company-provided internet. Yes they may have a smart phone with internet, but often they don’t have credit cards to book flights online because they are paid in cash, and don’t have bank accounts in order to avoid bank fees, so nor do they have credit history. There’s a cash economy among the minimal wage earners in Cayman, and it allows fraudsters to take advantage.
Thank you.. I hate it when people blame the victim.
All true and valid points, we usually book and pay for the helpers flights and she works off the money, but unless the travel agent is letting people pay in installments why aren’t they just booking the flights directly with Cayman Airways at their offices?
Why do you need a slave in the first place
All helpers are not slaves. Just because a few people behave that way doesn’t mean that everyone does.