cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
Phony Travel Agent Steals Thousands From Unsuspecting Victims - Travel Pulse
A Clearwater woman has been arrested after being accused of scamming thousands of dollars out of unsuspecting hopeful travelers while posing as an independent travel agent. According to an arrest report and ABC Action News, Sharell Ortiz was posting flyers on Facebook offering her services to help give families the vacation they’d been longing for.
One woman, Xvira Hillmon, said she planned on taking a cruise to the Bahamas with her cousins as a family reunion. She said her family gave Ortiz an undisclosed amount of money while she herself gave her at least $1,000.
According to the arrest report, Ortiz was accepting cash or checks and using two different PayPal accounts to receive the money. A subpoena for her PayPal account yielded $3,375 under the name ‘BOOKWITHSHARELL.’
Victims had no idea they were duped until the day before they were set to leave.
A Clearwater woman has been arrested after being accused of scamming thousands of dollars out of unsuspecting hopeful travelers while posing as an independent travel agent. According to an arrest report and ABC Action News, Sharell Ortiz was posting flyers on Facebook offering her services to help give families the vacation they’d been longing for.
One woman, Xvira Hillmon, said she planned on taking a cruise to the Bahamas with her cousins as a family reunion. She said her family gave Ortiz an undisclosed amount of money while she herself gave her at least $1,000.
According to the arrest report, Ortiz was accepting cash or checks and using two different PayPal accounts to receive the money. A subpoena for her PayPal account yielded $3,375 under the name ‘BOOKWITHSHARELL.’
Victims had no idea they were duped until the day before they were set to leave.