A front desk employee at a travel agent office in Buraidah has fled with SR400,000 after cheating summer travelers with fake reservations. The scam came to light after the travelers who had booked tickets through him failed to find seats on international flights.

Travelers were shocked to discover that they had no bookings on arrival at the airport.

The owner of the travel office said that the man had scammed customers over a period of three months.

“My travel office is an agent for a very renowned travel and tourism firm,” said the owner.

“I was surprised to find the office closed for two days. When I called the employee, he said he is in Makkah to perform Umrah and will be back in two days,” he said.

“I waited for him to return, but he did not and his phone was off. I knew then that something was not right. I inquired about his bank account and found no money left,” he added.

Saud Al-Faridi, a citizen who fell victim to the man’s scam, said: “I had made reservations from Qassim to Jeddah to perform Umrah with my mother and two of my family members, but we found no reservations in our names at the airport.”

A source with Qassim police said that the department had received several reports from citizens with the same complaint. “The matter is being addressed,” he said.