Tour scammers in UAE target Malayalis; promise discounts on packages

Sharjah/Dubai: Tour scammers offering unbelievable discounts for accommodation in luxury hotels and entry to prominent pilgrimage centres and other tourism spots around the world have also become active in the UAE. Expatriates now prefer to enjoy a trip to foreign countries during the holidays, and scammers are taking advantage of this trend to trap their victims. Many people have fallen prey to this tourism scam and lost enormous amounts of money and time. The fraudulent groups mostly target Malayali expatriates keen to plan a foreign holiday.

Looking for luck
The scammers deploy their agents in front of supermarkets and hypermarkets to target Malayali families. Indian and Pakistani youngsters arriving in Dubai on a visiting visa are recruited. The families are given a free coupon. promising that they would win attractive prizes in the lucky draw.

After the ‘so–called’ date of the lucky draw, the victims receive a phone call informing them that they have won the draw. The scammers urge them to arrive at their office with their families to collect the grand prize. The excited family soon rushes to the office in the hope of receiving the prize. The scammers then take a long class, presenting their tour packages to lure the families.

They would use videos to discuss interesting international tour packages that are valid for 2 – 5 years. They offer amazing discounts for accommodation at luxury hotels and guided tours of prominent tourism spots all over the world. The Indian package includes visiting the Kashmir valleys and a houseboat ride in Alappuzha.

Meanwhile, the customer can choose from ten tourist attractions, including Burj Khalifa, Dolphinarium, Dubai Frame, and the Miracle Garden in the UAE. People will realise they have been deceived only when they reach the foreign destinations by purchasing air tickets. They will be shocked to learn that the hotels are not associated with the tour company and rooms aren’t booked for them.

Many victims
Aneesh Alosius, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, lost 16,000 dirhams after he was scammed by a tour company based in Sharjah. Although Aneesh took the legal route to secure damages, nothing happened. The company Royal Holidays currently doesn’t exist. Aneesh told Manorama Online that the same company continues to cheat people under a new name at a different location.

Meanwhile, Sindu, who hails from Adoor, Pathanamthitta, paid 10,000 dirhams for a 36-day holiday package to some international destinations. The company had offered her free accommodation and leisure programs worldwide. However, when they contacted the company for a package to Jerusalem, they asked her to pay 99 dirhams per night for the hotel reservation. Sindu then enquired more about the tour operators and soon learned it was a fraudulent company.

Although Sindu tried to contact the company via email, they tried to evade her by giving false promises of EMI reimbursement, discount rates and even a ‘welcome kit’. They promised to repay her, but she hasn’t received the money yet. When Sindu went to their office and created a ruckus, the manager and the staff promised they wouldn’t charge anything extra besides the basic package fees of 10,000 dirhams. However, the office and the company had disappeared when Sindu and her family were ready for the trip.

A Malayali doctor who had purchased a package to Canada to visit his son by paying 22,000 dirham was also cheated. When they arrived at the hotel in Canada with the fake booking details, the hotel staff denied having any association with the tour company and informed them there weren’t any bookings in their names. The doctor is surely enraged that he got scammed, but he is also deeply hurt by the insult that he suffered at the hotel in Canada.

Changing names and places
Lots of people have been sharing their experiences of getting scammed by the Royal Holidays on their social media pages. Some of them have lost 2000 – 25,000 dirhams. Most people say that after paying the money, the customers are unable to contact the company’s officials. There have been complaints that the company has been trying to get 99 dirhams as an additional cost for hotel bookings.

Meanwhile, some others said that they had paid the money at the company’s office and weren’t getting any replies to their emails. These fraudulent groups scam people by securing a free zone licence by paying 5000 dirham. This lets them change their name and place of operation from Sharjah to Dubai and back whenever they want. Those cheated urge others to be cautious while associating with such holiday companies. The scammers offer attractive tour packages, cheat the customers, get their money and then change their location, so the people who have been cheated wouldn’t be able to track or contact them. So, if someone approaches you at the supermarket offering free coupons, it is better to ignore them.

Keep these in mind
1) Enquire about the company before purchasing their packages
2) Check the registration details of the company
3) Try to collect as many details as possible before paying the money
4) Do not hesitate to contact the concerned authorities if you suspect fraud
5) Be cautious and collect information from trustworthy institutions to save yourself from scams.