Elderly Couple Scammed on Dream India Trip

0:00In Leicester today, March 1st, an elderly couple from Leicester lost more than 2,500 pounds on a dream trip to India they had planned for eight years. The Neshaan Sari, 80 years old, and his wife Shashi Kala, 78, thought they booked flights through Expedia for a two-month visit too. Relatives in Gujarat, but when they arrived at Heathrow Airport with pack bags, staff discovered the tickets were fake. The trouble started when Dinesh searched on mine for a cheaper deal and landed on a phony website mimicking Expedia. It directed him to a WhatsApp chat with someone posing as a company rep named Fly Expedia. They requested a direct bank transfer of exactly 2,500 A to pounds, skipping credit car protections. Shashi Kala described the shock at the check-in counter, where they waited as staff searched in vain for the booking. Their son had driven them from Leicester after a cancelled coach, and they even missed the planned airport lounge breakfast. The family fell panicked and stressed on the drive home.

1:01A week later, the couple successfully traveled to Ahmedabad by booking through a trusted local travel agent. They're still unsure if the bank will refund the money since it was a transfer, not a car payment. Now, they're urging others, especially seniors, to get help from younger family members before buying online. Meanwhile, Expedia confirmed legitimate bookings only happen on their official site or app, never via unsolicited messages. Local groups in Leicester run fraud awareness sessions, teaching safer online habits, and police note scams now make up half of reported crimes, advising everyone to verify before sending money. The Daily News Now is grateful to our sponsor for today's episode. If sleep podcasts are your thing, this is your pillow, built for comfort and calm, so L.I. Soleypillow.com