Travel-Agency Scam Artist Extradited To The United States
by Cheryl Rosen /A travel-agency phishing scam has been brought to an end, and its perpetrator is in custody—but not before he defrauded travel agencies of $2 million.
From July 2011 to September 2014, Eric Donys Simeu of Cameroon sent out emails requesting the GDS login credentials of travel-agency employees. Amazingly, many responded—and he then used the information to book airline tickets that he used himself or sold at deep discounts.
He was finally arrested by French authorities in 2014, traveling on a fraudulently obtained ticket and using a fake British passport. He has been charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, computer fraud, and access device fraud and was extradited to the United States last week.
"This arrest and extradition serves a strong deterrent to those targeting the computer networks of U.S. companies and U.S. citizens," said J. Britt Johnson, an FBI agent from the Atlanta field office. “It should also serve as a reminder to the public to be vigilant and aware they are frequently targeted through fraudulent emails seeking to steal their personal information."
For a three-part series on how to protect your travel agency from fraud, click here.