According to a police officer authorities of the Peel region, two suspects held negotiations with representatives of the airline. They managed to convince the interlocutors that they are conscientious employees of a travel agency headquartered in the UK. After that, everything went like clockwork, because the scammers got the main — access to a closed system for searching and booking airline tickets. In a professional environment, it is called “affiliate”.
Between June 2021 and December 2021, alleged scammers sold more than 250 real air tickets worth more than 500,000 Canadian dollars through this portal. The suspects accepted payments from passengers, but, taking advantage of the lenient terms of the contract, were in no hurry to transfer funds to the airline's accounts.
The police said that a joint investigation with the Fraud Enforcement Bureau showed that most of the failed passengers lived in Calgary , and they purchased tickets mainly to African countries. Hence, by the way, the price — for $2 000 each.
As a result, the police coped with the capture of tourism scammers.
In January, 32-year-old Adebovale was arrested and charged with several crimes related to fraud Adiata, and his 44-year-old accomplice Gbemisola Akinrinade, were detained on February 24.
In the official materials of the investigation, there is no information about the fate of those 250 citizens who paid for the “wrong way” tickets. It does not say how much money the fake travel agents did not have time to spend.