Fast action has helped limit an elaborate confidence trick involving contracts and international travel by a fraudulent Chinese company claiming to want to make bookings for clients to SA.

Tourism Update was contacted by Highline Tours & Travel on August 27, advising of a scam that probably started at Africa Travel Market and ended after a visit to Asia. An attempt to swindle a fellow service provider with the same modus operandi was thwarted. Highline turned to Tourism Update to warn other operators of the sophisticated operation.

Highline was contacted by the Chinese company with a tour request, and proceeded with communication that was “very good”, reverting quickly with answers to all the questions asked by Highline. “They know what they are speaking about re the ins and outs of tour operating,” said Highline, continuing that once the contract was finalised, the Chinese company requested that Highline’s MD travel to its offices in Zhuhai, China (near Hong Kong), to meet face-to-face to sign the contract.

The Chinese company advised that a visa could be obtained on arrival, and was “very quick to give all the information re the visa. On arrival in Hong Kong, our MD learned that it was actually not possible to get the visa on arrival,” said Highline. “When advising the [Chinese] company of the visa problem, they then requested that he meet them at a hotel in Macau.”

On arrival at the hotel in Macau, the Chinese company’s representatives were “very friendly [to our MD] and even gave an in-depth presentation on their company and what they do, etc.,” said Highline – but refused to take a photo with Highline’s MD, saying it was “against their religion”.

The Chinese company then requested a $1 000 fee for notarisation of the contract (0.2% of the booking amount), followed a day later by a request for a further $514.08 (0.1% of the booking amount) to complete notarisation.

“The contract stated that once the agreement was signed, they then needed to pay a 30% deposit for the tour,” said Highline. “So we requested that they deduct the $514.08 owing from the 30% deposit. This they were obviously not willing to do.” Highline commented that it was at this point that they initiated investigations by their company lawyer, who revealed documents showing that the Chinese company was ‘fake’.

Highline believes that this ‘fake’ company was present at the Africa Travel Market trade show – one of the leading travel and tourism trade shows in Africa – in May, and secured business cards of local businesses at the event.

The second well-known company escaped financial damage. They “phoned us this morning [August 27], as a supplier had alerted them that we had cancelled a booking as we had been scammed. Luckily the supplier picked up that [our colleagues] had the same booking, so alerted them. We have spoken to [our colleagues] and they went through the exact same process that we went through, but luckily for them they had not yet made any payments,” concluded Highline.

Highline has said it is open to answering any questions its fellow service providers may have in an attempt to prevent others from being scammed. Please contact Highline at sam@highline.co.za for more information.