02.33 am, Friday May 25 2012

NT Travelscene franchisee referred to cops

15:07 AEDT Fri Feb 10 2012
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A Darwin travel agent suspected of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers has been reported to police and cut loose from parent company Travelscene American Express.

Travelscene issued a statement on Thursday saying it had terminated business with the woman, who owned and ran a Darwin branch of the company.

The company said it had referred "very serious incident involving multiple cases of suspected fraud by one individual" to the NT police's fraud squad.

The NT News newspaper has this week detailed complaints from customers totalling more than $200,000.

Travelscene general manager Jacqui Timmins said the company had been unable to contact the woman since mid November.

"As the business was independently owned and operated, we neither had, nor have, access to financial records and have no information on the nature and timing of any transaction conducted," Ms Timmins said.

A police spokesman said the woman had been interviewed by police and investigations with police and the Department of Consumer Affairs were ongoing.

Unlike every other Australia jurisdiction, travel agents in the Northern Territory are not required by law to be members of the Travel Compensation Fund (TCF), which monitors the financial solvency of companies.

The TCF pays compensation to customers of agencies who have ceased trading or have failed to pass money on to travel providers.

According to the TCF website, businesses "must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to trade as a travel agent" to remain members of the fund.

Ms Timmins said the company would try to assist customers caught up in the alleged fraud.

"We have already been able to help some people, with the much appreciated support of suppliers," she said.

"The situation for other customers is far more complex."

 

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