One couple says they paid a travel agency $20,000 for their dream vacation but the trip was never booked. When they went to the company’s headquarters to sort out the confusion, they say the office was abandoned. NBC New York’s Greg Cergol reports.
The New York attorney general's office launched an investigation into a possible travel scam on Long Island after a couple said they paid a travel agency more than $20,000 for their dream vacation — but the trip was never booked.
For new grandparents Pat and Valerie Policastro, an August visit to Europe was set to be the journey of a lifetime. But the trip is now off, because the travel agency the Policastros said they used to book it is gone.
The same goes for the $23,000 they paid for it, as the money is completely unaccounted for.
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WATCH HERE"I’m very hurt and I’m very upset and it’s something that will live with me forever," said Pat Policastro. "Val has been going through medical issues and this was to be a celebration of her getting better. And this was something for us."
Policastro booked the trip in October with the Crafty Getaways travel agency in Miller Place. The vacation was paid in full.
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SIGN UP When he returned to the travel agency in February, he found the office empty.
"It’s just amazing how they got up and disappeared," he said.
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Policastro said his calls to the travel agency have not been answered. The cruise line and one of their hotels did answer, but confirmed that no reservations were ever made in the couple's names.
"It makes you wonder, how is somebody capable, especially in this day and age?" Policastro said. "It has soured me on people in general and that’s sad. I have lost my trust."
The couple has since filed complaints with Suffolk County police and the county's district attorney. A spokesperson for the county DA's office would neither confirm nor deny an investigation was underway.
When NBC New York reached out to the travel agency, a new name surfaced, with an office about 40 miles away in Bethpage. The office there was closed on Monday.
A man claiming to be a public relations representative for the travel agency responded to News 4's request for comment, but provided no response to the allegations.
"There should be repercussions of what happened, not only for me but for other people," said Policastro. "What they’re doing, I don’t know how you live with yourself, to do something very hurtful."
A woman who did not wish to be identified told NBC New York that she and her sister-in-law were both victimized by the travel agency as well. She also said she had spoke over social media to other victims as well, each of whom paid thousands of dollars for trips that were never booked.
