Two-week Greek-island cruise for €6,000 turned out to be a two-hour excursion off Limassol

A 27-year-old man has been arrested for extortion after allegedly tricking two people into paying €6,000 for a two-week private cruise around the Greek islands but directing them instead to a Cypriot operator doing two-hour boat trips off Limassol.

A second person is also wanted in connection with the scam.

The two people aged 23 and 30 filed a complaint with police that they had booked a two-week cruise with the suspect, who posed as a travel agent, paying him a total of €6,000 for a cruise around the Greek islands.

According to the arrangements, on Thursday, the two complainants met with an associate of the ‘travel agent’ who transported them to a marina in Limassol, from where their cruise would start.

After boarding the boat and talking to the captain, they realised that the cruise was only two hours long, and would only be off the coast of Cyprus.

The captain of the vessel, who was unaware of the scam, took the pair to police and returned the €650 he had been paid by the scammer to take two customers on the boat trip. He had received the money from the so-called partner of the fake travel agent.

Police managed to track down the ‘travel agent’ and arrested him. An amount of €3,300 was found in his possession, believed to be part of the money paid by the two complainants. The associate is being sought.