Following the Seçil Erzan incident in the banking sector, the tourism industry is now abuzz with Selin Çakmak's fraud story.
According to Alev Görsoy Cimin from Posta newspaper, Selin Çakmak, who worked at Nettur Travel, started a pyramid scheme about five years ago.
Selin Çakmak would call customers, saying, "Big companies reward their employees with vacation vouchers. However, many employees don't use these vouchers and sell them to us at a discounted price. You can vacation cheaply with these vouchers."
She claimed the value of these vacation vouchers was 800,000 TL but sold them for 230,000 TL.
In reality, there were no such vacation vouchers from companies. Selin Çakmak was collecting money from new members of the pyramid scheme and using it to send earlier participants on vacations.
However, the system collapsed this summer because some tourism companies shortened their payment terms, and others started requiring upfront payments.
Customers who signed up for, for example, winter vacation packages found out there were no such reservations when they contacted the facilities.
Selin Çakmak told affected individuals that she would pay them back by selling the assets of Nettur Travel.
It is reported that Selin Çakmak collected 80 million TL from 400 people.
Nettur Travel stated that Selin Çakmak acted without their knowledge, that she has been dismissed, and that legal action has been initiated against her.
