Family reports losing thousands to scammer posing as travel agent

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A family is out thousands of dollars after reportedly being scammed out of a vacation by a woman claiming to be a travel agent living in Lenexa.

Anitra Peterson said her family began planning a cruise for her 80-year-old mother last year. She said the months since the planning process began have been a nightmare, resulting in her family sending a scammer $30,000.

“It’s frustrating that she gets to do this over and over and over again to multiple people.” Peterson said of the woman claiming to be a travel agent.

Peterson said she found the agent online and that she seemed believable.

“We also made sure that she was associated with a reputable travel agency,” Peterson said.

But Peterson said after her family started paying the agent for their cruise, she refused to give them their booking number.

“She’s like, ‘Oh, well Princess (Cruises) emailed me and asked me not to give you the booking numbers because their app has been giving us problems,’” Peterson said.

The Better Business Bureau said that’s a major red flag.

“Make sure that you immediately received confirmation of that trip when they book it,” advised Better Business Bureau of Midwest Plains Vice President of Operations Denise Groene.

Groene said another mistake Peterson’s family made was paying through Venmo.

“Digital payment applications are like cash. So once you send that money, if you find out later that the person you were working with is not unreputable, it is highly unlikely that you are able to get your money back,” Groene said.

Although Peterson’s family disputed the claims and got some of their money back, they never received their tickets.

“We realized she had not booked us on the cruise and she said she had,” Peterson said. “Not a dime was ever given over to Princess. We never had booking numbers.

While Peterson realizes her case likely will never be fully resolved, she hopes that her story can prevent other families from experiencing what hers did.

“People need to be warned about her and she shouldn’t continue to do this to other people,” she said of the reported scammer.

Peterson said she’s reached out to several other families that have been victimized by the woman claiming to be a travel agent in Lenexa. She said all have reached out to police with no luck. The BBB recommends anyone who falls victim to a similar scam file a complaint through the Consumer Protection Division of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.

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