At least 500 people may have been defrauded by a travel company that collected payments for vacations that never took place, according to the president of the National Tourism Association. However, an employee of the agency said that around 100 people were affected. The total damage is estimated at nearly 1 million lei.
The case is being investigated by police after affected customers filed complaints. According to a statement from the General Inspectorate of Police (IGP), the victims had purchased travel packages for holidays, but the trips were never organized.
One of the alleged victims is Tatiana Catrinescu. In a report by 1TV, she said she had been using the agency’s services for about two years and that their cooperation had previously gone smoothly.
“I know the company, I think I travelled with them for about two years, and everything was fine.”
The woman said she had planned a trip to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan between July 21 and 30, for which she had paid €2,200. The flight was scheduled for July 20.
“We were supposed to fly on the 20th, the flight was at 9:00 p.m., and at 5:00 p.m. I simply received a message: ‘You are not flying.’ No explanation, no apology. Messages were rarely answered, or the replies were very brief.”
Following the complaints, police launched an investigation. According to the IGP, the company’s founder and administrator, a 25-year-old woman, was detained and is being investigated in a criminal case for fraud.