The Guardia Civil has opened an investigation after receiving several complaints of fraud linked to a local travel agency accused of deceiving dozens of customers.
Sol Playa Travel, based in Playa Blanca, is at the centre of the inquiry after reports emerged that clients were charged for airline tickets that were never delivered.
One of the complainants, who is using the pseudonym Adela, works in a hotel in Playa Blanca and reported her experience to the Guardia Civil. She claims to have paid the agency €2,478 for flights between Austria and Colombia for a summer holiday involving three people, as well as an additional €230 for a ticket from Tenerife to Lanzarote for her son over Easter. Despite transferring the funds, no tickets were ever issued.
After repeated attempts to contact the representative who handled her bookings, Adela discovered that the agency's office had been stripped of its furniture and appeared to have been abandoned. Furthermore, the company’s social media accounts have disappeared, and clients have been left without any way of reaching the business for updates or refunds.
Adela’s case is not isolated. Another customer reported paying €1,067 for flights to Cali, Colombia, only to later be informed by the airline that the tickets had been cancelled due to non-payment. Despite initially receiving what appeared to be a booking confirmation, the tickets were never finalised.
According to investigators, the alleged fraud appears to follow a similar pattern in each case. Clients, many of whom are from Latin American backgrounds, were reportedly offered flights at prices significantly below market rates, often with a sense of urgency to secure the deal. Customers were given sealed envelopes, supposedly containing their tickets, which later turned out to be nothing more than provisional reservations.
When clients questioned the status of their bookings or asked for the actual tickets, the agency allegedly delayed and ultimately avoided any resolution. The Guardia Civil is now working to determine the full scale of the alleged fraud and to locate those responsible, and are urging anyone who believes they may have been affected to come forward and report their experience.
