Cape Town – A newly-wed couple’s R40 000 dream honeymoon to Thailand turned into a nightmare after a travel agent allegedly ripped them off and ran off with their money.
On Wednesday, Andre Ford, 50, and his wife, Michelle, 37, opened a case of fraud at Claremont Police Station, claiming Crescenda “Chrissy” Meyer, the owner of Breakaway Travel in Cape Town, conned them.
The couple wed on Saturday in a romantic ceremony and a reception with 120 guests. They say Meyer was invited but didn’t pitch, claiming she was ill.
Michelle says they trusted Meyer as they both knew her.
“She was not a house friend, but we knew she was in the travel industry and I met her 15 years ago. She had also arranged local trips for Andre so we trusted her,” she explains.
The couple, both business people, paid R22 000 in cash to Meyer and also spent an additional R20 000 on clothing, travel bags and transport arrangements abroad.
They were supposed to leave for their nine-day dream holiday on Tuesday, on a 10.40am Singapore Airlines economy class flight, but never even made it to the airport.
The couple said they were “bedazzled” by a charming Meyer, who came to them three weeks ago to give them their travel documents, promising them a stay at the Kata Sea Breeze Resort in Thailand.
Michelle says they became suspicious on Monday when Meyer apparently tried to upgrade their flight to business class, but said they could then only leave on Wednesday.
It was then that Meyer did a “disappearing act”, ignoring phone calls and blocking them on Facebook and Whatsapp.
Their suspicions were confirmed when they called the airline and resort themselves, and learned their bookings didn’t exist. “She did book the trip and cancelled it again,” explains Michelle.
“We have emailed proof and documentation of the itinerary. When I called the airline on Tuesday, they said the flight didn’t exist and then the resort also said there was a booking but that it was gone.”
The upset couple immediately opened a case with the police, where they learnt Meyer previously made headlines in Johannesburg earlier this month, when she allegedly scammed a woman out of R150 000 for a trip to Zanzibar.
“The officer typed in her name on Facebook and showed us the news article,” says Michelle.
“We want her to be exposed. She needs to be stopped. We lost priceless moments.”
The Daily Voice tried to contact Meyer on the numbers and emails provided, but there was no reply.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut confirmed a fraud case is being investigated by Claremont SAPS and no arrests had been made yet.