News

THE trail to the fraudsters who have conned millions of pounds through agency scams is hotting up, following new leads from agents alerted by Travel Weekly’s exclusive reports.

ABTA said it was talking to retailers who had contacted Newman Street with more details about the men it claims are behind the alleged scam linked with member failures costing £1.9 million in payouts since 1999 (Travel Weekly October 13).

Agents have come forward with new aliases and information about the two alleged fraudsters - Ghani Ahsan and Ray Haider.

ABTA head of legal services Riccardo Nardi said: “We already have a lot of information, but there are always gaps in the jigsaw.”

Newman Street has been forced to launch a civil case against the pair to recover damages after the police failed to act, ruling it was a civil matter as consumers had been refunded.

In a writ, ABTA said the two men were responsible for “systematic fraud” after buying into travel agencies. The writ said the agencies then advertised “aggressively” on Teletext offering “unsustainable prices”  then failed to provide the holiday. ABTA and credit card companies are believed to have paid out £5 million after a string of failures affecting around 2,000 consumers. Around 18 tour operators are also believed to be owed cash.

The association is still appealing for more information about the two men it believes are linked to the case.

Businesses named in connection with the men include Welbeck Consulting, Nairn Tours, Asta Travel, Avanti Travel, Intra Travel and Layton Travel.

Aliases include Ghani Ahsam, Ghani Mohan, Rashid Ahsan, Rizwan Rashid and Ray Khan.

Last week, Travel Weekly was unable to contact Ghani Ahsan, but Ray Haider maintained his innocence and vowed to defend the allegations.

Agents with any information should call ABTA’s legal department on 020-7307 1961. ABTA has stressed all calls will be treated in strict confidence.