Topic: Scandal: Ex-con swindles paying passengers...

Kathy Ward, a convicted thief, set up a travel agent to con thousands from her customers. And it worked. For a while...

That was, until police began to investigate dozens of complaints from her clients who claimed their cruises and holidays were never paid for, leaving them stranded at airports, or having had unauthoraised amounts of money withdrawn from their accounts.

It turns out that La Mon Travel Agency, in Co Down - N. Ireland, had been approved by ABTA two weeks before police raided the premises.

ABTA has since agreed to settle 24 claims caught up in the fraud which has affected more than 100 families, but those who entrusted the agency before the ABTA approval won't be getting a penny.

Meanwhile, detectives are continuing investigations. So far they have interviewed victims in more than 100 cases.

ABTA has been blasted for allowing La Mon Travel to join the association, despite being aware of the owners former convictions.

In 2007, Ward pleaded guilty to 14 counts of false accounting and theft in 2005/6. The offences were carried out while she worked as a managed another travel agency - Downe Travel.

ABTA chief exec, Mark Tanzer, issued the following statement:
"this case has had a very negative effect on other trustworthy agents, and to make sure that the good name of ABTA will not be undone by this one bad example”.

“This story has been particularly upsetting to us, as ABTA has a number of systems in place to ensure members work to very high professional standards."

“All applicants to ABTA membership have to fulfil a variety of criteria and in the case of La Mon Travel, they fulfiled those criteria. We are very disappointed that in this instance we had to terminate membership following evidence of malpractice. We acted as soon as alerted to the issue and terminated La Mon’s membership on February 9, 2010, just two weeks after the company had joined.”

In these days of modern technology, it is quite simple to check if a TA is a member of ABTA - just go to Home - ABTA - otherwise, use a credit card for the deposit at least.

I put the website address in but it has been changed for me - goodness knows why?

oh dear I think these con -merchants are terrible and I often wonder how they can set up such a business. Surely ABTA should check more and insist on guarantees.

You are so right, had a great cruise on Star Princess, LA to Valparaiso, loved it all especially Ecuador, Peru, Chile etc. Planning another perhaps November this year.

As a single traveller, I keep searching, in vain, for a reasonably priced cruise. I have seen something about 'two to a cabin', BUT, whilst I could just about chance perehaps a few days, a fortnight woulld be far too risky. NOT, I may say, only for me, but also for the other occupant.
Any experiences/anecdotes gratefully received, as well as advice.
Howden, Livingston.

I believe P & O's new Azura has single cabins-maybe worth checking out? Discounts for advance bookings- Early Bird savings, on board credit etc.