Seven individuals have filed complaints of fraud against a travel agency based in Santa Maria da Feira, in the district of Aveiro. The case involving The Travel Maker may potentially affect dozens of other individuals who could have been defrauded.
Several people with trips planned through this company had already advanced money, with some having paid in full. The Aveiro District Command and the National Directorate of the Public Security Police (PSP) confirmed the existence of seven complaints when contacted.
These individuals had booked their trips and made payments, but upon visiting the agency this week to collect their tickets, they encountered an unexpected situation. As the Aveiro Command explained, “The agency no longer exists at that location. There were no computers or anything.”
According to the same source, “many others,” potentially dozens, could have been affected, but as the “trips have not yet occurred,” no formal fraud complaint had been filed yet.
When authorities were called to the location on Tuesday, they found “more than a dozen people at the door, peacefully waiting for a representative who never appeared,” as explained to Público and later confirmed to Notícias ao Minuto.
“As the hours passed, the attendees took turns, failing to get a response, and eventually filed formal complaints with the PSP station in Santa Maria da Feira,” the source noted, indicating that “more than 30 people” visited the police station to report being “harmed/defrauded.”
The PSP has identified the suspect, the owner of the company, and is investigating the situation. Damages amount to “thousands of euros,” and the owner is unreachable, with the company’s social media accounts deleted.
“The PSP of Santa Maria da Feira is providing all possible support to the victims/offended parties and receiving all complaints,” the statement read, noting that complaints will be forwarded to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The National Directorate of the PSP advises that “the most effective way to avoid being a victim of fraud is to invest in prevention, by suspecting and doubting unknown individuals, as well as deals that promise large and quick returns.”
“Moreover, reporting all frauds to the police authorities, both as a victim and as a witness, is crucial. Only through reporting is it possible to start a criminal investigation process, thus identifying possible suspects, and also combating the dark figures, allowing the reported crime rate to be as close as possible to the actual crime rate,” they add.
Below are some tips from the authorities to prevent falling victim to this crime:
- Do not transfer money to people advertising online without being certain the advertiser is legitimate;
- Keep all email exchanges, photos, and messages, in case the rental does not proceed as agreed or if you have been a fraud victim, and report the crime to the authorities immediately;
- If, after making a payment, the advertiser informs that no payment was received or there are processing issues, requesting a new payment, contact the bank immediately to verify the situation’s authenticity. If fraud is confirmed, cancel the payment already made immediately;
- Do not access addresses sent via emails from other platforms to conduct the transaction, as it may be a fake page;
- Request references or additional information about the products on sale, the properties for rent, or generally the contract’s subject matter (examples of other photos, specific perspectives, etc.);
- Research the advertiser’s information and contacts, as there may be references to previous frauds, especially in thematic forums or blogs;
- Beware of ads where prices are clearly below market value, even if such a price is allegedly based on a valid reason;
- Ads that last over time are more likely to be true because, after the first complaints, most servers eliminate the ads and advertisers;
- Search for the images presented in the ad to verify if they are true or taken from other platforms;
- Mistrust advertisers who do not provide a phone contact in the ad, if the number is foreign or if you can never establish contact;
- Be skeptical when the ad is poorly written, or if email exchanges contain grammatical, punctuation, or verb tense errors, indicating the use of translators;
- Inconsistencies between the owner’s language, nationality, phone number, country of residence, and IBAN origin are indicative of fraud;
- Do not make transfers to foreign bank accounts, as they are usually used in fraudulent schemes.
