More than 20 supposed travel agencies, which operate through social networks, sell illegal or fake plane tickets, "one way" either "nullable"to Venezuelans who intend to emigrate, a crime on the rise about which the authorized companies that -assure- puts the safety and money of travelers at risk.
The Venezuelan Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (Avavit) expressed concern about the promotion of tickets on digital platforms "without due compliance with the regulations stipulated for the international transit of people by air".
The union called for denouncing vendors who apply "modalities that distort the tourist activity"and that carry the risk of buyers being unable to travel or being scammed.
The president of Avavit, Nicola Furnari, told Efe that at least 20 alleged agencies that sell these tickets have been detected, and that they were denounced by users and companies before the association, which urges the victims to formalize their complaints before the prosecution.
The association recently received a complaint from a man who had paid his ticket, that of his wife and those of two children bound for Spain, but on the day of the flight, when the family arrived at the airport in Caracas, the airline prevented them from boarding because their tickets did not appear reserved or paid.
MISLEADING OFFER
With a message that begins with the question of "Do you need a return to present at the airport?"an Instagram account, also reported to Avavit, offers "tickets for rent for 24 or 48 hours exclusively for boarding and 100% verifiable".
In order to travel to another country, there must be a return ticket within the period that the destination nation allows foreigners to stay there without a visa or residence, which is why this proposal is proposed. "rental" of a false passage to present before the immigration authorities, that they have the power to deny boarding if there is no return ticket.
Furnari assured that these passages "They’re a "trap" with which the passenger "violates the immigration law of the destination country"where you will have an irregular status once the period allowed for your stay ends.
He warned that traveling under this modality has its risks, among them – he pointed out – being deported "in the first plane to go to Venezuela" if it is discovered.
"As this has been increasing (…) the authorities are putting it under scrutiny because they can verify that the ticket you have to return was issued on the same day. So they detect that and they take you to another level and it can result in deportation" or detained while they investigate, he said.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE NEED
The president of Avavit pointed out that these sellers found, in the midst of the crisis, "a fertile niche" to make these offers that attract, mainly, the most desperate Venezuelans to emigrate and with the need to do so "at the lowest possible cost".
Venezuela is experiencing a migration crisis that, says the global humanitarian director of the Plan International organization, Unni Krishnan, will worsen in the coming months and years.
More than 6.8 million Venezuelans left the country in recent years, according to the latest update of the Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V), released at the end of August, which represented an increase of 9.7% compared to July, figures that the Government denies.
Before him "boom" of these promotions, Avavit enabled an email to collect data from these vendors. Complaints are filed with the Ministry of Tourism for the "application of the pertinent sanctions".