This woman's dream holiday turned into a $30k nightmare - here's how it happened
- Replies 1
Airlines and travel agents have been struggling since the pandemic hit, so now is a great time to score a bargain on airfares and accommodation.
However, you need to be extra careful when booking your dream getaway, as there are plenty of scammers out there who would love to take advantage of your hard-earned savings.
Just ask Maria (not her real name), an Australian resident originally from Brazil, who was recently scammed out of $30,000 by a travel agent she found online.
Maria shared her story in the BBC documentary The Holiday Swindler and it’s a cautionary tale for those who love to travel.
If her story serves as a warning for anything, it's that you should always do your research before handing over any money to an online business — no matter how good the deal may seem at first glance!
Now, on to the story…
Last year, Maria decided to take her family on a skiing trip around Europe and came across Rafael Bessa's travel agency online.
Bessa's company — Rafael Bessa Signature Travel — seemed like a reputable business.
Maria then paid the agency $15,000 upfront for the holiday package expecting everything to go without a hitch.
‘Usually what I spend is half of what he was quoting,’ she said.
‘But I said to myself, “I haven’t travelled for two years. OK, let’s go.”’
Maria and her family were excited for their trip around Europe (which included two stops for skiing).
But on their third stop, Maria was told by a hotel manager that the room they reserved had not been paid for.
‘The manager said: “Look, we didn’t receive anything from your travel agent”,’ she recalled.
As anyone would do, Maria reached Bessa immediately about the payment issue and she said the agent brushed the whole thing off as a ‘misunderstanding’.
What happened next for the rest of the trip was conveniently summarised by Maria: ‘We pay, we pay, and we continue the journey.’
Surprise, surprise, when Maria arrived at the next hotel, she said she was then asked to pay despite already having paid in full.
In total, Maria lost $30,000 on that dream-turned-nightmare of a trip. That’s $15,000 upfront and another $15,000 for the hotels she stayed at.
Maria claims Bessa promised to reimburse her with the money she used to pay at the third hotel — she says he never followed through on his word.
Understandably livid at her situation, she stormed Bessa’s social media accounts to claim the money he owed her, but to no avail.
Maria added that Bessa was annoyed with her, so he resorted to deleting her messages and even threatened to sue her.
Later on, she said she received a message from Bessa’s lawyer offering a partial refund on the condition of signing a non-disclosure agreement.
Maria turned the offer down.
‘The guy hasn’t paid me so far, and then I’m going to sign a contract saying I’m not going to say anything and then he’s going to pay me? It doesn’t make any sense,’ she explained.
Unfortunately, it appears Maria isn’t the only person to encounter similar difficulties with Bessa.
According to The Holiday Swindler, the travel agent has a string of unhappy clients around the world.
Fifty of those are represented in Brazil by lawyer Victor Machado.
According to him, his clients paid almost $183,000 for travel accommodations and services that never materialised.
Machado pointed out a pattern in the cases he handles: there’s always a hotel that ends up not being paid for. In addition, his clients also said they weren’t able to reclaim their money from Bessa.
What’s more, the lawyer noticed a concerning confidentiality clause on contracts Bessa’s clients signed that carried penalties against public disclosure.
‘It’s one of the clauses he uses to threaten customers,’ Machado said.
‘If they happen to expose him on WhatsApp or social media, he invokes that clause to say that they will be prosecuted.’
Meanwhile, when sought for comment by BBC and The Holiday Swindler, Bessa denied the numerous claims raised against him.
‘I am shocked by your allegations,’ he said.
‘I am really surprised with the amount of errors in this documentary… even false allegations.
‘If this documentary airs, we will file a lawsuit against the BBC.
‘Be careful before (you) put this documentary (out) because 90 per cent of your facts are false.’
A similar message is also posted on a Facebook account named Rafael Bessa Signature.
‘The BBC has completely misrepresented the position and facts.’ he said, reiterating his threat for legal action against the network.
‘I have only ever acted honestly and in the best interests of my clients.’
Watch other victims come forward with their claims in The Holiday Swindler below.
Source: YouTube/BBC
So, what do you think? If you’ve had a similar experience with a travel scam like Maria, what did you do when you found out you were being duped?
Do you have any golden rules you strictly follow when you travel?
Share your thoughts and experiences with us!
However, you need to be extra careful when booking your dream getaway, as there are plenty of scammers out there who would love to take advantage of your hard-earned savings.
Just ask Maria (not her real name), an Australian resident originally from Brazil, who was recently scammed out of $30,000 by a travel agent she found online.
Maria shared her story in the BBC documentary The Holiday Swindler and it’s a cautionary tale for those who love to travel.
If her story serves as a warning for anything, it's that you should always do your research before handing over any money to an online business — no matter how good the deal may seem at first glance!
Now, on to the story…
Maria wanted a trip to Europe with her family where they could ski. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/BBC
Last year, Maria decided to take her family on a skiing trip around Europe and came across Rafael Bessa's travel agency online.
Bessa's company — Rafael Bessa Signature Travel — seemed like a reputable business.
Maria then paid the agency $15,000 upfront for the holiday package expecting everything to go without a hitch.
‘Usually what I spend is half of what he was quoting,’ she said.
‘But I said to myself, “I haven’t travelled for two years. OK, let’s go.”’
Maria and her family were excited for their trip around Europe (which included two stops for skiing).
But on their third stop, Maria was told by a hotel manager that the room they reserved had not been paid for.
‘The manager said: “Look, we didn’t receive anything from your travel agent”,’ she recalled.
As anyone would do, Maria reached Bessa immediately about the payment issue and she said the agent brushed the whole thing off as a ‘misunderstanding’.
What happened next for the rest of the trip was conveniently summarised by Maria: ‘We pay, we pay, and we continue the journey.’
Surprise, surprise, when Maria arrived at the next hotel, she said she was then asked to pay despite already having paid in full.
In total, Maria lost $30,000 on that dream-turned-nightmare of a trip. That’s $15,000 upfront and another $15,000 for the hotels she stayed at.
Another victim named Ana came forward and shared her experience of losing $4000 to Bessa. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/BBC
Maria claims Bessa promised to reimburse her with the money she used to pay at the third hotel — she says he never followed through on his word.
Understandably livid at her situation, she stormed Bessa’s social media accounts to claim the money he owed her, but to no avail.
Maria added that Bessa was annoyed with her, so he resorted to deleting her messages and even threatened to sue her.
Later on, she said she received a message from Bessa’s lawyer offering a partial refund on the condition of signing a non-disclosure agreement.
Maria turned the offer down.
‘The guy hasn’t paid me so far, and then I’m going to sign a contract saying I’m not going to say anything and then he’s going to pay me? It doesn’t make any sense,’ she explained.
Unfortunately, it appears Maria isn’t the only person to encounter similar difficulties with Bessa.
According to The Holiday Swindler, the travel agent has a string of unhappy clients around the world.
Fifty of those are represented in Brazil by lawyer Victor Machado.
According to him, his clients paid almost $183,000 for travel accommodations and services that never materialised.
Machado pointed out a pattern in the cases he handles: there’s always a hotel that ends up not being paid for. In addition, his clients also said they weren’t able to reclaim their money from Bessa.
What’s more, the lawyer noticed a concerning confidentiality clause on contracts Bessa’s clients signed that carried penalties against public disclosure.
Bessa has many disgruntled clients according to BBC’s The Holiday Swindler. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/BBC
‘It’s one of the clauses he uses to threaten customers,’ Machado said.
‘If they happen to expose him on WhatsApp or social media, he invokes that clause to say that they will be prosecuted.’
Meanwhile, when sought for comment by BBC and The Holiday Swindler, Bessa denied the numerous claims raised against him.
‘I am shocked by your allegations,’ he said.
‘I am really surprised with the amount of errors in this documentary… even false allegations.
‘If this documentary airs, we will file a lawsuit against the BBC.
‘Be careful before (you) put this documentary (out) because 90 per cent of your facts are false.’
A similar message is also posted on a Facebook account named Rafael Bessa Signature.
‘The BBC has completely misrepresented the position and facts.’ he said, reiterating his threat for legal action against the network.
‘I have only ever acted honestly and in the best interests of my clients.’
Watch other victims come forward with their claims in The Holiday Swindler below.
Source: YouTube/BBC
So, what do you think? If you’ve had a similar experience with a travel scam like Maria, what did you do when you found out you were being duped?
Do you have any golden rules you strictly follow when you travel?
Share your thoughts and experiences with us!
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