SPECIAL REPORT | Tshiamo travels - fraud, dissapointment and anger

At least five fraud cases have been opened against Pearl Khumalo, the owner of Tshiamo Travels, a company that has been accused of scamming its clients by allegedly making fake group bookings for overseas trips.

This is the latest development following two previous articles that Sowetan Consumer ran about Tshiamo Travels’ two separate trips to Turkey in August and to Bali this month, which had to be called off after Khumalo allegedly failed to make bookings.

A travel agency has been accused of stealing from and ill-treating its customers after a trip to Turkey for 22 travellers was cancelled at the last minute.

Controversial travel agency Tshiamo Travels has been served with a letter of demand by customers who are due for a trip to Bali in Indonesia in September.

This is the latest development following a cancelled trip to Turkey last week which left a group of about 20 customers shocked when they discovered that the company had not made any bookings for them.

Travel fraudsters tend to reveal themselves around the festive season, leaving hundreds of  travellers stranded and without their much-deserved holidays.

Here’s how you can protect yourself against travel fraud.