A tourist bought a non–existent Tomsk – Istanbul bus tour and did not notice the catch

An unusual case of fraud when buying a tour abroad occurred in Tomsk. The victim was not confused by several alarming factors at once: the travel agent offered her to travel 5,500 km by bus to Istanbul, and the price of such a trip was 13 thousand rubles.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Tomsk region, a resident of the regional center contacted the police with a statement about fraud. The girl said that she decided to go on vacation, and began to look for a ticket in tourist communities on social networks, actively subscribed to public posts and waited for an interesting option. In the end, I waited.

Some time later, a man wrote to the would-be traveler, introduced himself as an employee of a travel agency and offered to purchase a ticket to Turkey. The girl became interested in a bus tour from Tomsk to Istanbul. The victim did not pay attention to the fact that the route involves 5,500 km of travel. 

However, tomichka still doubted when she found out the price – 13 thousand rubles. She understood that a tour to Turkey could not be so cheap, but she calmed down when the “travel agent” told about the “burning ticket”. 

“The scammer explained: one of the clients refused at the last moment, and they are urgently looking for someone who wants to take his place. The girl became interested in the “burning ticket” and, following the instructions of a stranger, made a money transfer in the amount of about 13 thousand rubles. to the specified bank details,” the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Tomsk region explained.

As soon as the money was sent, the man stopped responding to the tourist. That’s when the girl realized that there was no ticket in principle, and went to the police.

It should be noted that in recent years, attackers have increasingly found their victims in tourist communities. In this regard, law enforcement officers recommend that you always require a contract before sending money to pay for the tour and, if possible, check all necessary information about the companies where you plan to purchase a ticket.

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