Travel agent charged with stealing miles...
Jan 11, 2013 | 9:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,894
Travel agent charged with stealing miles...
An Associated Press article today, dateline Bellevue, Washington:
"A former agent at a Bellevue travel company was charged Friday with stealing nearly 3.7 million airline miles from high-end clients, then using them to buy plane tickets for herself and her family. ... According to a wire-fraud charge unsealed Friday in federal court, Yeakel used the airline miles to buy 135 flights for herself and her family, worth more than $109,000."
(For that number of miles, it doesn't seem to be a very favorable redemption rate!)
Here is the full article:
http://seattletimes.com/html/localne...ickets12m.html
"A former agent at a Bellevue travel company was charged Friday with stealing nearly 3.7 million airline miles from high-end clients, then using them to buy plane tickets for herself and her family. ... According to a wire-fraud charge unsealed Friday in federal court, Yeakel used the airline miles to buy 135 flights for herself and her family, worth more than $109,000."
(For that number of miles, it doesn't seem to be a very favorable redemption rate!)
Here is the full article:
http://seattletimes.com/html/localne...ickets12m.html
Jan 11, 2013 | 10:01 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: 787
Programs: Too many to list
Posts: 1,311
Does yours fuss when you ask to call reconsideration line, but first question after booking tickets "Is it first or business?"..
Jan 11, 2013 | 10:02 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 30,343
Apparently the internal control in her former employer was very poor as the cheating started in 2005 (fraudulent usage of clients' CC) and the stealing of miles started in 2008. The whole thing did not blow up until 2011!
Jan 11, 2013 | 10:51 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: LA/SD
Programs: SPG Gold, Hyatt Platinum, HHonors Gold
Posts: 125
Jan 11, 2013 | 10:55 pm
#8
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 92
Jan 11, 2013 | 11:03 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,689
fraud and mere inactivity is the reason why everyone really should log into their accounts at least 1x per month.
surprising how many people have no clue about when or why their accounts go inactive or their account was used by someone else for reward bookings (usually someone they know who they gave their password to).
surprising how many people have no clue about when or why their accounts go inactive or their account was used by someone else for reward bookings (usually someone they know who they gave their password to).
Jan 12, 2013 | 6:24 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,385
I doubt she cared about the cost per mile, and many of the really do not care about the miles.
The same G's that arrested her are the same group that has deteriorated housing values by 40% and are now taking $40.00 a week from your paycheck to supplement their spending, and buying favors, much like the travel agent...
Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black.
The same G's that arrested her are the same group that has deteriorated housing values by 40% and are now taking $40.00 a week from your paycheck to supplement their spending, and buying favors, much like the travel agent...
Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black.
Jan 12, 2013 | 6:52 am
#15
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Las Vegas since 11/2023
Programs: No status anywhere anymore, it was fun while it lasted
Posts: 4,648