They scam a family from Portugal out of 100,000 euros with a fake reservation for a hotel in Varadero.

A Portuguese family fell victim to a scam while trying to organize a vacation at a hotel in Varadero, Cuba.

The victim of the scam is named Patricia Lima. She planned the trip with 36 family members, investing more than 100,000 euros in the booking of flights and accommodation through the agency Viagens Top, part of the company Detalhes Memoráveis.

However, days before the departure of their flight to Cuba, they discovered that neither the flight tickets nor the hotel reservations existed, leaving their family without the long-awaited vacation and with a significant hole in their pockets.

Patricia told CNN Portugal that the distrust began when she requested the travel documentation and saw how the agency evaded her request.

He verified that there were no records of his group in the passenger list for the flight to Cuba. Immediately, he filed a complaint with the Public Security Police (PSP), discovering that they were not the only ones who had their money and dream of a happy summer stolen.

More families and close friends were also scammed by the same agency, who had booked other trips, such as cruises or honeymoon reservations, that never materialized.

Since June 2024, the flow of tourists from Portugal to Cuba has increased due to the existence of weekly flights with the airline World2Fly, which will continue until September 12.

Viagens Top is an agency recognized in the National Tourism Registry since 2017. It has been operating exclusively online since 2020.

Despite multiple complaints, their website remains active. Local authorities said they have begun an investigation.

The first cases of fraud related to this company occurred in December 2022, when a customer paid for a trip for five couples to Bahia, Brazil, and never received a refund for their money after the reservation was canceled due to a supposed COVID-19 outbreak.

Turismo de Portugal, the body responsible for regulating travel agencies, stated that these cases are being investigated by the Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE). To date, more than a dozen complaints have been received against the agency, which is under investigation.