Oak Lawn travel agent accused of scamming families appears in court
CHICAGO (CBS) – A travel agent accused of improperly pocketing tens of thousands of dollars went before a judge on Tuesday.
Maysoon Nasir's arrest came after multiple CBS 2 investigations into complaints about the Oak Lawn woman's refusal to return money to customers whose trips didn't pan out.
CBS 2's Lauren Victory had the latest on what's become a criminal case.
At the Cook County Courthouse in Bridgeview, CBS 2 hoped for another chance to question Nasir like back in June, but she appeared in court via Zoom to the disappointment of just some of her victims.
They said they sent Nasir money to book them vacations, but something went wrong.
The self-proclaimed travel agent hasn't paid all of them back for the botched trips. CBS 2 heard tales of flight confirmation numbers that didn't work at the airport and sagas of unpaid reservations at hotels.
"Going to Cancun and not knowing where you're going to stay at night is horrible," said Salina Elizondo.
Oak Lawn police arrested Nasir on felony identify theft, felony theft by deception and a misdemeanor charge.
"We need justice here," said Hector Galvan, another victim. "She needs to be put in jail."
Nasir's clients aren't the only ones who are frustrated. CBS 2's coverage caught the attention of legitimate travel agents across the country.
Nathan Vallier owns Alaska and Youkon Tours and started his 30-year career in Illinois.
"The reaction among a lot of groups is 'Not another one,'" Vallier said.
Nasir's news made it all the way to his store in Skagway, Alaska.
"This is pretty damning for us as travel agents," he said. "You know, we're here to help people. We're not here to con them and take their money."
For future trips, he and the American Society of Travel Agents suggest using a directory of vetted agents who are required to follow a code of ethics.
CBS 2 confirmed Nasir was not a member. Her customers said criminal charges were a long time coming.
"I told you the other day, thank you very much for being our voice because, for so many of us, no one was listening to us," said Carina Tuminello, whose case CBS 2 reported on.
Nasir's victims were grateful but still out thousands of dollars.
Tuesday's hearing was less than five minutes long, and Nasir said nothing. She's expected to enter a plea at her next court appearance in September.
Interested in finding a travel agent? Here's some advice from the American Society of Travel Agents on how to find one:
- Make sure that when you engage with travel advisor, you verify that they're a member of the American Society of Travel Advisors. We have a directory here. Or you can email us at askasta@asta.org and we'll be glad to help.
- We also have a great Trip Quote function that connects travelers directly to a travel advisor in our professional network. For people who know what they're looking for, this is a great resource.
- Important to note: ALL members of our professional trade organization must adhere to a strict code of ethics (and we do enforce it).
- For travelers who run into an issue with a travel advisor or company that is member of our organization, we have a dispute-resolution process. You can learn more about our traveler support services here. This is where consumers can lodge a complaint and where we will intervene on behalf of the consumer.
