Fake travel agent Lyne Barlow jailed for £1.6m holidays scam

A bogus question cause who conned hundreds of holidaymakers successful a £1.6m scam has been jailed for 9 years.

Lyne Barlow, 39, formerly of Stanley, County Durham, near much than 1,400 customers retired of pouch erstwhile she failed to publication trips betwixt 2019 and 2020.

She admitted stealing £500,000 from 1 person, 10 counts of fraud and a wealth laundering complaint involving £1.6m.

Durham Crown Court heard she besides lied to clients astir having terminal crab portion carrying retired the fraud.

Unscrupulous Barlow initially preyed connected her household and friends, plundering their savings to acceptable up an autarkic question bureau successful which she lured victims with the committedness of market-beating deals.

She further deceived customers by telling them their bookings were protected by the Atol security strategy and she was a subordinate of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

News of her bargain holidays rapidly dispersed connected societal media, seemingly endorsed by glowing reviews.

However, galore of those who took the bait were to find that their holidays had either not been paid for astatine each oregon lone portion of their booking had been made.

Some were confronted astir the shortfalls portion overseas and had to wage other for their hotels and flights home.

Others turned up astatine airports to observe that they did not person seats connected their flights oregon that their bookings had been cancelled due to the fact that of non-payment.

Barlow would connection "too bully to beryllium true" deals specified arsenic a 5 star, all-inclusive week successful Dubai for conscionable £500, 1 section question manufacture root said.

They told the Press Association: "She did overmuch untold harm to section question agents who simply could not vie astatine the unrealistic prices.

"We tried to archer galore radical it wasn't close but arsenic immoderate radical were travelling and getting the holidays astatine these prices - she was intelligibly backing the shortfall with different people's wealth - they wouldn't judge it.

"We adjacent contacted her ourselves and tried to telephone her retired but she wasn't fazed successful the slightest and really tried to enlistee america to enactment for her."

As Barlow's Ponzi-style strategy began to unravel she told immoderate customers she was down connected bookings due to the fact that she was having attraction for signifier 4 cancer.

It is believed she chopped disconnected her hairsbreadth to marque it look similar she was undergoing chemotherapy.

When victims began reporting the rip-off successful September 2020 the stories began circulating connected societal media.

Soon Durham Police's power country was overwhelmed by a torrent of calls from irate victims.

Police took the antithetic measurement of directing complainants to an email code successful a bid to forestall 999 calls from being delayed.

An probe was launched which became 1 of the biggest fraud cases successful the force's history.

The tribunal heard antecedently that the prosecution claimed the full of offending reached £2.6m, though the defence challenged that figure.

An ABTA spokesperson said cases similar Barlow's were "extremely rare" but urged radical to cheque question agents' rank on the organisation's website.

"Holidays tin beryllium a people for fraudsters which is wherefore we promote radical to beryllium vigilant," they added.