Paid ticket and i've been scammed?!

[marlyn&kenny]

:NoNo::NoNo::NoNo: SO I BOOKED A FLIGHT ON LINE WITH THIS WEBSITE, RANAVENTURE IT IS CALLED LMAO! I WAS SO STUPID AND FOOL, HOW THE HELL I WAS CONVINCE TO PAY THEM GRRRRRRRR :cwm23: :Brick:
SO AFTER I PAID ON FEB 8, I ASKED FOR MY TICKET NUMBER AND BOOKING REFERENCE AND THEY ONLY GIVE ME REFERENCE NUMBER. SO I RANG THE AIRLINE AND CHECK WITH THEM IF THE BOOKING IS RIGHT AND THEY SAID IT IS BOOKED BUT THEY SAID THAT THE TICKET HAS NOT YET BEEN ISSUED , SO I RANG THAT AGENCY AGAIN AND DEMAND FOR MY TICKET BUT THEY SAID TICKET WILL ONLY BE GENERATED 5 DAYS BEFORE THE FLIGHT BECAUSE THE DEAL THEY GIVE US.. :NoNo: SO I WAS BIT SUSPICIOUS THEN BUT DONT KNOW WHY EVENTUALLY THEY CONVINCE ME :NoNo: :Erm: (I AM A FOOL YES AND SO STUPID)
SO LAST FRIDAY , I DONT KNOW WHY BUT I JUST HAVE THE FEELING THAT I NEED TO CHECK OUR BOOKING AGAIN, SO WENT ONLINE AND CHECK OUR BOOKING AND WAS GOBS SMACK TO SEE THIS "SORRY This trip cannot be found. It may have been cancelled. (4649) PLEASE CONTACT YOUR AGENCY . SO I RANG THEM AND ASK WHY AND THEY CAN NOT GIVE ME REASON AND THEY JUST SAY WILL GIVE YOU FULL REFUND BEFORE 6PM.. AND KEPT RINGING THEM UNTIL TODAY THEY KEPT PROMISING WILL BE BACK IN MY ACCOUNT IN FEW HOURS, THEN IN FEW MINUTES BUT NOTHING. SO THEN THEY SAID REFUND WILL SHOW IN MY ACCOUNT IN 3 WEEKS, MY GOODNESS, SO I RANG OUR BANK AND THEY SAID IT SHOULD NOT TAKE THAT LONG, MAXIMUM IS 7DAYS .. SO NOW I AM REALLY SCARED AND SO SO DIS APPOINTED WHAT HAVE I DONE? SO LOOKS LIKE I JUST LOST £1715.. OH LORD HELP...:Brick::Brick:
I HAVE ALREADY REPORTED THIS AGENCY WITH ACTION FRAUD, WITH THE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU, AND JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE REFUND IN 10 DAYS AND IF NOTHING HAPPEN YET THEY WILL INVESTIGATE. WISH I HAVE BEEN MORE SENSIBLE LOL I WAS SO THICK LMAO :NoNo:

[melovesengland]

im sorry to say but you did really got scammed. your intention to get things cheaper i suppose gone into more expensive holiday. you shouldve checked it before you paid or you shouldve booked using the airlines website. hoping things will get better to you.

[imagine]

if you paid by credit card it is covered for fraud,contact your credit card phone no/on the back of the card, i think most debit cards are also covered

[bigmarco]

Just had a look at their site and am afraid that there are a few alarm bells. Firstly the name RANA indicates indian/Pakistani no abta or atol number on their web page. Plus their flight search function on the site doesn't work. Can never understand why people deal with these 2 bob sites. £1715 is quite a major purchase and as such you need to be careful when handing it over.
Good luck in your efforts to get your money back.

[imagine]

Just had a look at their site and am afraid that there are a few alarm bells. Firstly the name RANA indicates indian/Pakistani no abta or atol number on their web page. Plus their flight search function on the site doesn't work. Can never understand why people deal with these 2 bob sites. £1715 is quite a major purchase and as such you need to be careful when handing it over.
Good luck in your efforts to get your money back.

i been trying that site too, doesnt work right, maybe so that you have to phone them, :Erm:

[grahamw48]

Fingers crossed you paid by credit card. Contact them immediately !

I'm very sorry to hear about your problems.

[Dedworth]

Ouch as others have said hope you paid by cc. Indian / 'stani angle is no surprise these nationalities have been known for years to be synonymous with dodgy travel operations . Buyer beware.

[purple]

So Sorry to hear that marlyn&kenny.
I think we live and learn in this life. I'm sure you will get your money back with more persuasion.
The amount £1715 is pretty big.
You can check website like moneysupermarket.com for great deals.

We booked our flights for less than £1600 3 weeks ago through opodo. But we went through mysupermarket first to check for better deals. Then we booked it through quidco to get some cashback.

I'm crossing fingers for you to get your money back. It is best to book flights with the accredited websites then you can get a guarantee that they are not fraud.

[KeithD]

If you paid with CC alert them straight away, and EVERYONE should book travel with a CC.

[marlyn&kenny]

hello guys, life sucks, i paid through debit card! how stupid i am! i am already in contact with my bank and they are doing their best to help me, i also had reported this to action fraud, Oh my God, I am so embarrass to be fooled like this, :Brick::Brick: i feel so sick!

[marlyn&kenny]

i think i should get a cc so we have something to use in the future . oh God, its all my fault, i should have know better... im so so stupid :( (this is me marlyn by the way lmao

[grahamw48]

Marlyn, don't be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes.

I hope the bank is able to help.

[joebloggs]

Domain Name: RANAVENTURE.COM
Created on: 30-Jan-13
Expires on: 30-Jan-14
Last Updated on: 30-Jan-13

looks like this website\domain is only a couple of weeks old :NoNo:

Registrant:
Domains By Proxy, LLC
DomainsByProxy.com
14747 N Northsight Blvd Suite 111, PMB 309
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States

:NoNo:

[Dedworth]

I would contact Trading Standards and the Police.

I just called them and gave them a line that the website wasn't working and where in London were they as I'd call in and buy a ticket. To my surprise the indian sounding guy said they were in Reading - when I asked for the address he said Davidson House, Forbury Sq, Reading RG1 3EU. Googling shows this to be a Regus rent an office site http://www.regus.co.uk/locations/business-centre/reading-forbury-square

[marlyn&kenny]

this their address they claimed to be their office.. i rang the police and toild me to ring trading standards.. oh dear Lord please help me...


I would contact Trading Standards and the Police.

I just called them and gave them a line that the website wasn't working and where in London were they as I'd call in and buy a ticket. To my surprise the indian sounding guy said they were in Reading - when I asked for the address he said Davidson House, Forbury Sq, Reading RG1 3EU. Googling shows this to be a Regus rent an office site http://www.regus.co.uk/locations/business-centre/reading-forbury-square

[Michael Parnham]

Sorry to hear of your dillema Marlyn, hope it gets sorted. Just for future ref: STA travel tel, 08717029845 very reliable, been around many years and probably one of the cheapest around.!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[BoholoX]

I've coincidentally just done a google search for cheap flights and they are still one of the sponsored advertisers at the top of the page - beware....

[Dedworth]

this their address they claimed to be their office.. i rang the police and toild me to ring trading standards.. oh dear Lord please help me...

You could always see if Reading Borough Council Trading Standards would visit the premises

Phone 0118 937 3737

[marlyn&kenny]

thank you.


Sorry to hear of your dillema Marlyn, hope it gets sorted. Just for future ref: STA travel tel, 08717029845 very reliable, been around many years and probably one of the cheapest around.!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[marlyn&kenny]

thank you for the number i will ring them now.

You could always see if Reading Borough Council Trading Standards would visit the premises

Phone 0118 937 3737

[marlyn&kenny]

i have lost hope :NoNo::NoNo:
i have rang Reading office of Trading Standards and they would not go and check i feel im sinking :behead::behead:

[marlyn&kenny]

I would contact Trading Standards and the Police.

I just called them and gave them a line that the website wasn't working and where in London were they as I'd call in and buy a ticket. To my surprise the indian sounding guy said they were in Reading - when I asked for the address he said Davidson House, Forbury Sq, Reading RG1 3EU. Googling shows this to be a Regus rent an office site http://www.regus.co.uk/locations/business-centre/reading-forbury-square

i rang the police but they just want me to ring trading standard ...

[Arthur Little]

i have lost hope :NoNo::NoNo:
i have rang reading office of trading Trading Standards and they would not go and check i feel im sinking :behead::behead:


i rang the police but they just want me to ring trading standard ...

Grr! :cwm23: Talk about "passing the buck"! Strikes me as being typical of an all pervasive, couldn't care less ... :anerikke: ... attitude among so-called "Public Services" nowadays.

[grahamw48]

I thought New Scotland Yard were supposed to have an anti (Internet) fraud dept.

This is a lot of money to lose, and of course will be the tip of a large iceberg.

[Dedworth]

i have lost hope :NoNo::NoNo:
i have rang reading office of trading Trading Standards and they would not go and check i feel im sinking :behead::behead:

If you feel this outfit have acted fraudulently and are unwilling to come up with the air tickets then go into your local Police Station and report it as a crime, make sure you get a reference number from them - I'd expect they then have to pass the details to Thames Valley Police and / or Metropolitan Police as it is a London phone number

[Arthur Little]

Grr! :cwm23: Talk about "passing the buck"! Strikes me as being typical of an all pervasive, couldn't care less ... :anerikke: ... attitude among so-called "Public Services" nowadays.

:yeahthat: ... and the thought of anyone losing such a LARGE amount of money to rogue traders is enough to create a hollow feeling in the stomachs of most of our members here I'm sure, Marlyn. :doh

Some have suggested your BEST form of redress rests with your bank, and :iagree:

[Doc Alan]

I am so sorry to read about this Marlyn and Kenny.


We all sympathise and hope this will be resolved quickly. Good advice has already been given.


Don’t limit yourselves to phone calls. You should visit the police station – with Kenny – and insist that you wish to make a full statement to a detective. He ( or she ) should then make an appointment to visit you at home. If there is not significant progress then write to the police, stating that if they do not reply within 10 working days, you will issue a formal complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission ( http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/default.aspx ).


No one has been injured but this nonetheless appears to be economic crime and deserves to be treated seriously.

[KeithD]

You need to contact Google Adwords and inform them of the ad fraud to prevent others getting done.

The laws changed with regard to debit cards last year in your favour, so the bank will help, just make sure you have spoken with their fraud department.

Tell them the UK Police, UK Trading Standards, and the bank are dealing with the issue.

As this company has all your details cancel your debit card asap, and keep an eye for identity theft.

[andy222]

hello guys, life sucks, i paid through debit card! how stupid i am! i am already in contact with my bank and they are doing their best to help me, i also had reported this to action fraud, Oh my God, I am so embarrass to be fooled like this, :Brick::Brick: i feel so sick!
If it is any consolation I did the same. You are luckier than me though.I didnt find out until the day of my flight when I went to check in. Luckily I had a spare £750 to buy another ticket. My bank did sort it out eventually 6 months later. I got all my money back.

[jakeob]

I would be pinning my hopes on the bank at this stage,,, I would be asking your bank if they will cover the loss YES or NO????? If like others have said your now covered on a debit card then your ok...

[imagine]

i got a letter from my bank sometime last year, to say that my debit card was now covered in the same way as my credit card,
whether this applies to all debit cards i dont know, mine is with rsb

[KeithD]

Marlyn, you should get the money back, but it can take a bit longer than if you had used a credit card as it's a different procedure they use.

[sars_notd_virus]

Sorry to read about this sis Marlyn:NoNo:
call your bank and cancel your debit card.

[stevewool]

always pay large amounts on a credit card, then pay it later with your debit card, hope it all works out well for you both

[marlyn&kenny]

You need to contact Google Adwords and inform them of the ad fraud to prevent others getting done.

The laws changed with regard to debit cards last year in your favour, so the bank will help, just make sure you have spoken with their fraud department.

Tell them the UK Police, UK Trading Standards, and the bank are dealing with the issue.

As this company has all your details cancel your debit card asap, and keep an eye for identity theft.

sorry , I PAID IT through DIRECT BANK TRANSFERS guys :NoNo::NoNo::Brick::Brick:
spoke to our bank and they said there is nothing they can do as it is bank transfers, we even argue with them that even if we are scammed? and they wont do anything to investigate this lloyds tsb business account with them. The bank is our only hope. we will try to speak to our local branch and see if they can help us with our evidence that this company we bought the ticket from is a fraudulent and scam company. thank you all for your inputs and advice. it is so frustrating and dis appointing that action fraud department said they receive like 10 reports everyday so they will just choose which one worth investigating to and they said they might not do further investigation to our case. and they advice us not to speak with this people again as they are criminal, but they can not promise us that they wil do an investigation!! so so unfair...
so they are just letting this criminals ripped peoples and walk away .. I bet these criminals scammers already know how the system works, how this so called action fraud department works, that is why they just do more crimes and get away with it because they know that action fraud police department will not pursue any further investigation!
so dis appointed of how they handle our case. we got nor more hope really.. thought their mission is to bring those criminals to justice!! but NO, they are just choosing which case to investigate!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cwm23::Brick:

[imagine]

no wonder scamming is ripe, sorry to read they dont seem bothered to back you up and investigate these criminals,
i hope you can find some way to get help

[marlyn&kenny]

Marlyn, you should get the money back, but it can take a bit longer than if you had used a credit card as it's a different procedure they use.

hi,
we have spoke to our bank and NO there is nothing they can do about it because i paid those p*** through direct bank transfer. gets from bad to worst !

action force police said, don not speak to them any-more as these are criminals!! Yes they are criminals YET they are taking their time to do something about it!!! and might not do any further investigation she said, they are only relying to whatever information we can add to our report!

they said those people who scammed us are criminals ! BUT THEY ARE LETTING THIS CRIMINALS GET AWAY WITH IT! :cwm23:

[KeithD]

I've never heard of anyone paying for a flight with a bank transfer, that's not much difference than using Western Union, a red flag. You have pretty much lost the money then in that case.

The police won't be able to do anything as you moved funds offshore yourself, and the site is not EU based.

[joebloggs]

:crazy: the police will not get involved. they have a london base, yet if you steal something from a supermarket worth £1 they will arrest you :doh

[Dedworth]

If these scammers are UK based (Reading / London ?) and you feel that whatever Police Force you reported it too (you state "action Force Police" - who are they ??) has not taken your report seriously then I'd guess your only course of action is to complain about this Police Force to the Independent Police Complaints Commission http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/default.aspx and perhaps try to involve your MP.

Did you report it to the Police face to face and get a crime report number ?

[Doc Alan]

Agreed Ded :smile:
Perhaps my #27 was missed -

I am so sorry to read about this Marlyn and Kenny.


We all sympathise and hope this will be resolved quickly. Good advice has already been given.


Don’t limit yourselves to phone calls. You should visit the police station – with Kenny – and insist that you wish to make a full statement to a detective. He ( or she ) should then make an appointment to visit you at home. If there is not significant progress then write to the police, stating that if they do not reply within 10 working days, you will issue a formal complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission ( http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/default.aspx ).


No one has been injured but this nonetheless appears to be economic crime and deserves to be treated seriously.

[Dedworth]

Quite right Doc - I think what is highly relevant from both your posts is to visit the Police Station and report it in person. I hope Marlyn & Kenny can get this sorted, it is a nasty con trick

[Doc Alan]

I have given this advice separately to Kenny - who is a good man and I know will fully support Marlyn.

[imagine]

i dont know if this site can be of any use to you, check it out on the link,

maybe other members can check it out and see what they think too

http://www.canyoutrustthem.com/

[grahamw48]

Thanks Stewart. Excellent idea, that site. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Publicity is the enemy of con-men.

Online 'reviews' , the enemy of companies, products and 'services'.

A genuinely useful feature of the internet.

[imagine]

Thanks Stewart. Excellent idea, that site. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Publicity is the enemy of con-men.

Online 'reviews' , the enemy of companies, products and 'services'.

A genuinely useful feature of the internet.

it does look hopeful, and at the least it will warn others:xxgrinning--00xx3:

found the link in my favourites, i cant remember how i originaly come to have it, its possible it may have been from a members post some time back here on our forum

[marlyn&kenny]

Agreed Ded :smile:
Perhaps my #27 was missed -

I am so sorry to read about this Marlyn and Kenny.


We all sympathise and hope this will be resolved quickly. Good advice has already been given.


Don’t limit yourselves to phone calls. You should visit the police station – with Kenny – and insist that you wish to make a full statement to a detective. He ( or she ) should then make an appointment to visit you at home. If there is not significant progress then write to the police, stating that if they do not reply within 10 working days, you will issue a formal complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission ( http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/default.aspx ).


No one has been injured but this nonetheless appears to be economic crime and deserves to be treated seriously.

Hi Doc, Thank you so much for all your concern,
Me and kenny already reported to action fraud and they are taking their time so we follow your advice, kenny rang the independent police to file a complain and they also advice us to speak to the duty inspector base in london and all they say is, it is down to the action force who are private agency to deal with this . there is nothing they can do ! absolutely useless. kenny give them an example, if a boy knick a bar of chocolate in the shop,worth £1, they will send a police man straight away. but with our case they can not do anything because this ACTION FRAUD agency took over their Job!! Pathetic!

The manager of DAVIDSON HOUSE READING rang me earlier and confirm that RANAVENTURE are scammers, He said I am the Fifth victim of these people, they already managed to scam more than £7000 in total , he also reported this to action fraud.

[marlyn&kenny]

all police in all areas said it not their job anymore to deal with online fraud! :cwm23::cwm23::cwm23::Brick::Brick::Brick:

[South-east boy]

all police in all areas said it not their job anymore to deal with online fraud! :cwm23::cwm23::cwm23::Brick::Brick::Brick:

So sorry to hear this. Like you say, no wonder these scammers start up and rip people off, if nothing is done to stop them!

[joebloggs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iftt8S54Qr4
:NoNo:

[jakeob]

Dont suppose the Building Manager has an idea where these scum live??

If the Police arent willing to help, i think i would be tempted to pay this lot a visit with a few of my mates:furious3::furious3:

[KeithD]

Did you ask the bank to reverse the transaction as it was a mistake?

[Terpe]

That's a good link joebloggs :xxgrinning--00xx3:

I must admit, it's something I had no idea about. :doh

Unbelievable. If someones comes to your house and steals £500 the police will be there in force.
If someone comes to your house and gets £500 by fraud, then nothing from anyone bad luck mate. :censored:

[joebloggs]

you would think it was easy enough for the to phone the number on the website, say you want to pay cash and collect the ticket and nab them :doh, (just as dedworth phoned them and asked where they were )

a post on another forum

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k6169410-Rana_Venture-Air_Travel.html



are you the poster Marlyn ?

[imagine]

was safer in the days of a pocketful of cash,

[Doc Alan]

Thanks joebloggs :xxgrinning--00xx3:.

I also did not know about this - outrageous, unfair, and depressing for Marlyn and Kenny ... :doh

[KeithD]

Can somebody write a post entitled: RANA VENTURE Review: Is RANA VENTURE a SCAM?

Then start the posts first line:
Is RANA VENTURE a SCAM?

....then right a brief few sentences on why it is a scam. If anyone posts in it, please use the title in your post: Is RANA VENTURE a SCAM?

Thanks, may as well make sure it is listed clearly on Goocle.

[grahamw48]

I recommend you visit a few of your local high street travel agencies when buying air tickets. All that glitters is not gold

For the sake of £20-£50 extra, somebody else will do the searching for you, including explaining all the different journey permutations etc, AND you will receive a REAL ticket.

[marlyn&kenny]

Did you ask the bank to reverse the transaction as it was a mistake?
THEY SAID IT IS TOO LATE, AND BEFORE I COMPLETED THE ONLINE BANK TRANSFER, AN AUTOMATED MACHINE RING OUR LANDLINE TO CONFIRM TRANSFER AND ALSO I RECEIVED A TEXT FROM LLOYDS TSB ABOUT THE TRANSFER SO THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT, TRANSFER IS AS GOOD AS CASH,THEY MIGHT HAVE WITHDRAW THAT MONEY FROM THEIR ACCOUNT ANYWAY , THAT'S WHAT BANK SAYS :NoNo:

[marlyn&kenny]

you would think it was easy enough for the to phone the number on the website, say you want to pay cash and collect the ticket and nab them :doh, (just as dedworth phoned them and asked where they were )

a post on another forum

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k6169410-Rana_Venture-Air_Travel.html



are you the poster Marlyn ?

Thank you for the link Joe, NO it was not me, we lost 1715 and im so angry that some people thought we are just joking.(people we know from facebook) i can upload our bank statement to prove that i had paid this scammers through bank transfers and humiliate myself even more for my stupidity and foolishness.

[marlyn&kenny]

Can somebody write a post entitled: RANA VENTURE Review: Is RANA VENTURE a SCAM?

Then start the posts first line:
Is RANA VENTURE a SCAM?

....then right a brief few sentences on why it is a scam. If anyone posts in it, please use the title in your post: Is RANA VENTURE a SCAM?

Thanks, may as well make sure it is listed clearly on Goocle.

hi boss, I will start a thread, as i am one of their victim:Brick::Brick:

[KeithD]

Thanks. Hopefully it will help others suffer the same fate.

We all learn from our mistakes, some are more costly than others, you have lost a lot of money, and the authorities are useless, if any of us can help future people from being scammed in some way then we should do what we can.

I have posted a thread on that Traveladvisor link.

[Dedworth]

Anyone can be suckered it's a lesson to us all. Keep your chin up and try to move on

[grahamw48]

I agree.
It must be truly sickening, but don't let this gnaw away at you Marlyn. It's 'only' money.
Try to get on with your life now and stay happy.

[Terpe]

hi boss, I will start a thread, as i am one of their victim:Brick::Brick:

Well done for that. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

As others have said anyone can get scammed when under pressures from wily people.
I do feel for you. You have my sympathy and support. Try to put it behind you both and move onwards and upwards.

[marlyn&kenny]

Thank you guys, yes that is what my hubby said as well. but i just can not still get off my mind, i am having nightmares... but i am praying i get over this pretty soon , its not good on our lil one, she needs me

[KeithD]

You need to contact the domain host as well: godaddy.com

https://support.godaddy.com/support/

[imagine]

Thank you guys, yes that is what my hubby said as well. but i just can not still get off my mind, i am having nightmares... but i am praying i get over this pretty soon , its not good on our lil one, she needs me

you must accept it now,put it down to experience,dont dwell on it and make yourself ill,everyone makes a mistake at some point in their lives,sometimes more than once,
losing the money is one thing, dont add your health to it

[joebloggs]

You need to contact the domain host as well: godaddy.com

https://support.godaddy.com/support/

especially seeing the scammers have used Domains By Proxy which is also owned by go.daddy.com :cwm23: to hide their contact details :Brick:

Registrant:
Domains By Proxy, LLC
DomainsByProxy.com
14747 N Northsight Blvd Suite 111, PMB 309
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States

[Ako Si Jamie]

Sorry to hear this. Hope you get your money back Marlyn.

[joebloggs]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rtlyk/Rip_Off_Britain_Series_4_%28Evening%29_Episode_5/

forward to 10:45 , they got their money back threatening legal action and maybe because of the tv program,