From our Annals of Apartheid Tourism Bureau with some assistance from our Bureau of Ruined Dream Holidays in the Latrine American Triangle of Doom and our Bureau of Intense Schadenfreude
CNN Portugal reports that a Portuguese family has lost a huge sum of money to scammers who claimed to have booked an “unforgettable” trip to Varadero beach in Cuba. Aww, their apartheid dream holiday was ruined. Did Castro, Inc. have anything to do with this scam? Possibly. They’re capable of the worst sorts of chicanery. So, it’s possible that the Viagens Top Travel Agency is simply another arm of Castro, Inc.’s Ministry of Tourism.
This story has attracted a bit of attention on Instagram. Some readers simply thought it’s got to be fake news. Others are simply flabbergasted by the family’s apparent lack of good sense. And others point out that the family got what it deserved for planning such a huge family event in a communist totalitarian hellhole, See comments at the end of the story below.
From CNN Portugal:
When Patrícia Lima and her family decided to book a few days of vacation, they envisioned a trip full of memories, but that’s not exactly what happened.
Patrícia and her 36 family members spent over 100,000 euros, which they handed directly to the owner of Viagens Top travel agency, who had promised the group an unforgettable vacation.
Days before leaving for Varadero, a paradisiacal destination in Cuba, Patrícia realized that neither her name nor her relatives’ names were on the flight’s passenger list.
“Unfortunately, on August 31, I had a trip planned to Cuba, Varadero. On Friday, I asked him for the documentation, and the man started stalling. I don’t know what happened to him, I don’t know the man’s whereabouts,” the woman told CNN Portugal.
She quickly filed a complaint with the PSP (Public Security Police), fearing she had been scammed, only to later discover she was far from being the only victim of the scheme.
It was the security forces that confirmed to her that the website in question, which is registered under Bruno Florindo, an agent with the fiscal name “Detalhes Memoráveis,” had left more passengers stranded.
“I have a friend who was also affected, along with her mother, on a cruise. I have another friend who was also scammed on her honeymoon,” Patrícia adds.
A similar situation happened to Paula Castro, who told CNN Portugal that she trusted the documentation that had been sent, which certified the amount paid.
“We found out that the hotel reservation, the flight… none of it existed,” she added.
Meanwhile, Rogério Pinheiro recalls that Bruno Florindo immediately asked him for a deposit for the advance payment of the trip. He managed to avoid being scammed because, through contact with other victims, he realized what was happening.
Viagens Top has been registered in the National Tourism Registry since 2017, and since 2020, it has operated exclusively online.
CNN Portugal repeatedly tried to contact the businessman by phone and email, but the website’s owner did not respond. To his customers, Bruno Florindo claimed to be facing insolvency proceedings, but CNN Portugal has learned that this information is false.
Despite the complaints filed with authorities, the website continues to operate, as CNN Portugal has confirmed, continuing to deceive more victims over time.
A quick search on the Complaints Portal confirms that the first cases happened several months ago. In one example, dated December 2022, a customer complains of an alleged scam when purchasing a trip for five couples, also mentioning Bruno Florindo’s name.
The businessman allegedly claimed there was a COVID-19 outbreak at the destination, Bahia, so the trip had to be canceled. He also assured customers they would be refunded the full amount paid, plus 20% of the money advanced to the hotel, but the money was never returned.
Later, the couples confirmed with TAP and the Vila Galé hotel that their names had never been registered for any flight or accommodation reservations.
CNN Portugal contacted Turismo de Portugal, which issues agency registrations, and clarified that the responsibility for supervision lies with the Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE).
Some comments on Instagram:
“All the people who vacation in Varadero, Cuba, contribute to the communist regime continuing to exploit the Cuban population!!… 66 years of communism!
These people must be from the last century and don’t seem to know the internet exists.
Traveling to look at people who are poor and live in a dictatorship where they cannot enjoy their own country is not tourism. I believe divine justice exists.
100 thousand euros, but does she need to buy a house there to go on vacation or what?
100 thousand euros? The arrogance of those who have money to waste.
I don’t believe it, 100 thousand euros, did she buy the hotel? Can someone tell me? I’m worried.”