Israel Police Arrest Suspect in Major Travel Scam
Dozens of Chabad Chassidim were defrauded of hundreds of thousands of shekels after buying fake airline tickets to New York as previously reported. The 41-year-old suspect from Afula was arrested following an intensive investigation, after victims were left stranded abroad or discovered their bookings didn’t exist • Full Story, Watch
Israel Police announced Sunday that following an extensive investigation, officers from the Northern District arrested a 41-year-old resident of Afula suspected of orchestrating a large-scale travel scam that defrauded victims of hundreds of thousands of shekels through the sale of fake airline tickets to New York.
Among those affected were many Chabad Chassidim who had purchased tickets to travel to Crown Heights for the month of Tishrei, only to discover that their tickets were invalid — leaving some stranded abroad and others unable to depart.
Over recent weeks, police received dozens of complaints from across Israel, with victims reporting that they had purchased what appeared to be legitimate tickets — often receiving electronic confirmations by email — but later discovered at the airport that their names were not registered on any airline system.
In some cases, passengers were stranded mid–journey, including at layovers in Athens, after realizing their connecting flights were fake. Others arrived at airports to find they had no booking at all, while some who had reached New York were left without return tickets to Israel.
According to police, investigators have so far identified 69 victims, with total damages estimated at over 400,000 NIS. The suspect was arrested Sunday morning after a raid on his home in Afula and is expected to appear before the Court for a remand hearing.
Police emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and urged the public to exercise caution when purchasing airline tickets. “These types of property crimes can leave people in severe financial distress overnight,” the police said in a statement. “We call on the public to remain alert and to transfer money only to licensed, verified travel agents or official airline channels.”
Chabad travel agents have been working to assist affected travelers and help them secure safe arrangements to reach Crown Heights and back home.
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