Sabadell family on trial for 160,000 euro travel agency scam

The defendants face six years in prison for defrauding dozens of clients with fake cruises and non-existent flights.

Generic image of a travel agency storefront with posters of tourist destinations.
IA

Generic image of a travel agency storefront with posters of tourist destinations.

A couple and their daughter from Sabadell are appearing before the Barcelona Court this week, accused of running a fraudulent network of family travel agencies that scammed dozens of holidaymakers.

The Prosecution is seeking a six-year prison sentence and a 5,400 euro fine for the three defendants. They are charged with 44 counts of fraud committed between February 2016 and December 2019. The business operated under various names, including Moment Feliç Viatges SL, to evade detection after initial complaints surfaced.
One notable case involves fifteen retirees who paid 900 euros each for a Greek Islands cruise. Instead of the luxury trip, they were left stranded in a Venice hostel without proper food or facilities. The victims had to pay an extra 2,700 euros to cover their own return flights and expenses.

"They spent three days living in poor conditions, unable to wash or sleep properly."

Prosecution · Public Ministry
The agency's modus operandi involved collecting payments for trips to destinations like New York, Thailand, and the Maldives that were never actually booked. Other victims included a couple from Barberà del Vallès who lost their honeymoon and a local senior citizens' group that paid a 2,500 euro deposit for a trip that never happened.