Architects lose 30,000 euros to Balkans tour scam

ANKARA

The owner of a tour company with its headquarters in İzmir is accused of defrauding 61 members of the Chamber of Architects branch in Denizli province of roughly 30,000 euros after signing a contract for a Balkans trip.

In April 2023, the chamber which organized a Balkans tour for its members met with Emine Yıldız, the owner of an Izmir-based tour company for the trip.

After the initial meeting and the architects’ brief research on the official documents and certifications of the tour company, the parties reached an agreement.

A total of 61 people paid 480 euros each to the tour company, corresponding to 14,000 Turkish Liras, for an eight-day trip around Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia between the Sept. 17 and Sept. 24.

Shortly before the start of the trip, Emine Yıldız, the owner of the company, disappeared.

The group members who made their payments for the trip months ago stated that nobody was able to reach Yıldız by phone or by going to the company’s stated address.

Upon realizing that they were defrauded, the architects went to the prosecutor's office and filed a criminal complaint.

Speaking to local media, Özlem Durdu Kabel, president of the chamber, stressed that they trusted the company as they saw “many positive references from those who had gone on a trip with this company before.”

“We even managed to reach out to the father of [Yıldız] and her neighbors, but we could not reach her. The 40 people who paid by credit card will be able to get a refund, but we are still working for our friends who paid by a transfer. We have learnt that many people have been scammed in this way, since the exchange rate significantly changed in the last couple of months.”