Nearly 70 people have fallen victim to a suspected travel agency scam in Yaiza, Lanzarote, resulting in an estimated loss of €100,000. The Guardia Civil has launched an investigation and issued a nationwide search warrant for the owner of the agency, who is currently missing.
The travel agency is accused of selling non-existent airline tickets. According to reports from RTVC, at least 68 clients paid for holidays or family trips and received pre-reservation confirmations, but the final tickets never arrived.
Victims claim they were misled by a convincing but fraudulent process. After making contact with the agency and handing over their money, they received official-looking documentation. However, communication with the agency stopped soon after, and when customers visited the office in person, they found it abandoned. The agency's social media accounts had also been deactivated and airlines later confirmed that no reservations had ever been made.
Public Outcry and Personal Losses
Some of the affected victims gathered in Playa Blanca on Thursday to demand justice and share their experiences. Among them was Isabel, who travelled to Lanzarote to visit her daughter and now finds herself stranded, unable to return to her home country. Another victim, Gilberto, said his son and brother-in-law lost their jobs after being unable to return from holiday due to the missing tickets.
The case has sparked widespread outrage on the island and raised concerns about consumer vulnerability, even in transactions that appear legitimate and take place in physical offices.
Fugitive Owner Claims Bankruptcy
The owner of the agency, now the subject of a search and arrest warrant, allegedly sent a brief message to some customers claiming he was bankrupt and unable to refund the money. Since then, he has disappeared, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The Guardia Civil continues to gather evidence and testimonies as they attempt to trace the suspect and determine the full scale of the fraud.
Authorities are urging anyone else affected to come forward as investigations continue into what is being described as a well-planned and deliberate scam that has left dozens of families emotionally and financially devastated.
