Teenage travel agent admits fraud
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A teenage Thomson employee has admitted spending over GBP70,000 flying round the world by conning his customers while working in Perth.
Reece Scobie, 19, flew to destinations including Singapore, Dubai and Auckland on business class and enjoyed around the world trips during a six-month spree, staying in luxury hotels.
The BBC reported that Scobie even managed to trick court staff into giving him back his passport, which had been confiscated as a condition of his bail.
He achieved the fraud by accessing Thomson’s online booking system after he had worked for the company for just two months, the court heard.
While in the BA lounge at one airport he used a computer that had the personal details of a Cambridge Business Travel employee on it, which he used to book further flights to destinations including New York, Abu Dhabi and LA.
However while in LA the authorities had cottoned on to an irregularity and his return flight was cancelled. He had to borrow money to make the trip back to Scotland.
He admitted defrauding both Thomson and Cambridge Business Travel after being arrested in early 2013.
Jim Laverty, defending, said his client knew he was at serious risk of being sent to prison because of the scale of the fraud he had carried out.
Mr Laverty said: “I fully accept on his behalf that unless I can convince your Lordship that there is a credible and realistic alternative then you must detain him.”
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