Pat and Val Policastro, Long Island, NY couple scammed out of $23K after booking dream vacation with travel agency that closed shop and ran off with their money as more victims are feared.
Praying on the innocence and good faith of consumers…A Long Island couple who were getting ready for a European dream cruise to celebrate a medical milestone have told of being ‘ripped off’ to the tune of $23,000 after the travel agency they thought they had booked the trip through suddenly vanished.
Grandparents, Pat Policastro and Val Policastro’s dream vacation turned into a nightmare when they found Crafty Getaways in Miller Place was completely vacant in February, four months after they paid for the cruise in full, the couple told NBC 4.
Fake travel operation took advantage of well meaning grandparents
‘I’m very hurt and I’m very upset and it’s something that will live with me forever,’ Pat Policastro told the outlet. ‘Val has been going through medical issues and this was to be a celebration of her getting better. And this was something for us.’
‘It’s just amazing how they got up and disappeared,’ he added.
The incident has led to the New York attorney general’s office launching an investigation into a possible travel scam as the perps behind the fake operation have since absconded and are now nowhere to be found. Or are they?
The couple told the outlet that they booked the trip in October with the Crafty Getaways travel agency in Miller Place.
When Pat returned to the travel agency in February, he found the office empty.
‘It’s just amazing how they got up and disappeared,’ the grandfather said.
Policastro said his calls to the travel agency have gone unanswered. The cruise line and one of their hotels did answer, only to confirm that no reservations were ever made in the couple’s names.
Long Island travel agency feared to be targeting new victims
‘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 according to the nypost.
But there was more to come.
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 NBC4 that she and her sister-in-law were also both victimized by the travel agency. She said she had spoken over social media to other victims as well, each of whom paid thousands of dollars for trips that were never booked, leaving the victims high and dry with little recourse.
It remained unclear what measures, if any, legislators would seek to ratify to protect consumers going forward.
