{"id":24642,"date":"2023-02-03T16:31:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T21:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=24642"},"modified":"2023-02-03T17:27:45","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T22:27:45","slug":"travel-agent-lyne-barlow-who-lied-about-having-cancer-jailed-for-scamming-hundreds-of-holidaymakers-in-2-6m-con","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2023\/02\/03\/travel-agent-lyne-barlow-who-lied-about-having-cancer-jailed-for-scamming-hundreds-of-holidaymakers-in-2-6m-con\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel agent Lyne Barlow who lied about having cancer jailed for scamming hundreds of holidaymakers in \u00a32.6m con"},"content":{"rendered":"
A travel agent who lied about having cancer while scamming hundreds of holidaymakers in a \u00a32.6m con has been jailed.<\/p>\n
Lyne Barlow carried out one of the biggest frauds ever investigated by Durham Police – and told people she had a terminal illness while she committed her crimes.<\/p>\n
She initially targeted her own family and friends and used their savings before setting up a travel agency, in which she fraudulently sold holidays.<\/p>\n
Barlow, 39, admitted the theft of \u00a3500,000 from her own mother following the death of her father in 2015, as well as 10 charges of fraud and one count of money laundering.<\/p>\n
Jailing her for nine years at Durham Crown Court on Friday, Judge Jo Kidd told Barlow she had “an extraordinary talent for dishonesty”.<\/p>\n
The fraudster sold luxury holidays at knock-down prices but was funding the sales in a ponzi-style scheme by bringing in new customers to fund existing ones.<\/p>\n
Many of her 1,400 victims discovered the holidays they bought through her business were never booked or paid for by her.<\/p>\n
Durham Police said Barlow tricked victims, including her close relatives, into believing she had cancer as a means to deflect complaints when people contacted her about missing booking references.<\/p>\n
A local travel industry source said Barlow, from Stanley, County Durham, would offer prices to customers that were “too good to be true”.<\/p>\n
She is understood to have offered deals such as a five-star all-inclusive week in Dubai for as little as \u00a3500.<\/p>\n
\n\n
<\/div>Lyne Barlow pictured leaving Durham Crown Court at an earlier hearing<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
‘Disgraceful’ crimes<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Jay Steward, 53, told Sky News he booked two holidays with Barlow in 2020 after she was recommended by a friend.<\/p>\n
He bought a week’s getaway for his daughter and her boyfriend at an all-inclusive five-star hotel in Dubai, which was priced at \u00a31,000 for the couple.<\/p>\n
He also paid around \u00a3700 for a week in Malta for himself and his wife Julie for their 27th wedding anniversary. The holiday was on sale for half the price being offered by a well-known travel operator, he said.<\/p>\n
After the COVID pandemic forced the holidays to be cancelled, Mr Steward said he received “excuses” about why there were delays to his money being refunded.<\/p>\n
He said he then received a message saying Barlow had cancer and she “can’t respond to messages”.<\/p>\n
It was only after he mentioned that he planned to contact his credit card company that he received the money back, Mr Steward added.<\/p>\n
He told Sky News he felt like he had a “dodged a bullet” and branded Barlow’s crimes “disgraceful”, saying: “I feel so sorry for those people who’ve lost everything.”<\/p>\n
\n\n
<\/div>Barlow was jailed on Friday. (Image: Durham Constabulary)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
‘Barlow tried to recruit us’<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Another holidaymaker who booked a cruise holiday with Barlow said she paid upfront after being offered a 10% discount.<\/p>\n
After the trip was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, she paid an extra \u00a3350 to book on to another cruise – and says the additional payment has not been returned.<\/p>\n
The industry source said Barlow “did much untold damage to local travel agents who simply could not compete at the unrealistic prices”.<\/p>\n
“We tried to tell numerous people it wasn’t right but as some people were travelling and getting the holidays at these prices – she was clearly funding the shortfall with other people’s money – they wouldn’t believe it,” the source told PA news agency.<\/p>\n
“We even contacted her ourselves and tried to call her out but she wasn’t fazed in the least and actually tried to recruit us to work for her.”<\/p>\n
Barlow told her customers that the reason her deals were so cheap was because other travel agents were charging “large mark-ups” on holidays, when in fact it was her prices “that were too good to be true”, according to the source.<\/p>\n
She also “lied about having the relevant licences to trade,” the source added.<\/p>\n
They said: “We contacted police but were informed that as people were getting their holidays, at this point there was nothing they could do.<\/p>\n
“People were literally throwing money at her.”<\/p>\n
\n\n
<\/div>Barlow offered a five-star all-inclusive week in Dubai for as little as \u00a3500. (Image: SkyNews)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
‘Lives changed forever’<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Barlow claimed the holidays she offered were covered by ATOL and ABTA protection schemes, which provide financial protection for package holidays if the travel company goes bust.<\/p>\n
The judge said the amount stolen over seven years was \u00a32.6m, causing a loss of over \u00a31.2m.<\/p>\n
Police said the fraud charges related to loans, investments and holiday sales.<\/p>\n
At a previous hearing, Tony Davis, defending, asked for the court to allow a psychiatric report to be prepared and referred to the fact Barlow had told some people she had a terminal illness.<\/p>\n
Her travel business is no longer operational, and its social media page was taken down shortly after her arrest in September 2020.<\/p>\n
Detective Sergeant Alan Meeha said fraud was a “horrendous crime” and there were “far-reaching consequences” for the victims.<\/p>\n
“So many people have been affected by her actions, lives have been changed forever and some are still feeling the effects today,” Mr Meeha added.<\/p>\n
“This is one of the biggest fraud cases Durham Constabulary has ever dealt with and I would like to thank everyone who came forward for their patience and understanding while we carried out a thorough investigation.”<\/p>\n
![\"Lyne](\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/23\/02\/768x432\/skynews-lyne-barlow-travel-agent_6042711.jpg?20230201072420\")
<\/div>![\"ONLY](\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/23\/02\/768x432\/skynews-lyne-barlow-fraudster-travel-agent_6043098.jpg?20230201120822\")
<\/div>![\"Dubai\"](\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/23\/02\/768x432\/skynews-dubai-uae_6043614.jpg?20230201201536\")
<\/div>![\"Sky](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/sky-news-logo-1.png\")
<\/a> news.sky.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"