23 Oct, 2015
ARC Assists U.S. Government to Convict Rogue Travel Agent for Fraud and ID Theft
ARLINGTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) announced that the company’s fraud prevention team provided essential information to the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Postal Inspection Service that resulted in the conviction and recent sentencing of Sandra M. White, a former Coloma, Michigan travel agent for fraud and ID theft.
The U.S. District Court in Kalamazoo sentenced White to 94 months in prison for generating more than $600,000 in air ticket losses for carriers as an accredited agent, and then as an agency independent contractor after ARC revoked her accreditation in 2003. Besides providing vital data to the Justice Department regarding the fraudulent tickets, ARC representatives testified at both the grand jury hearing and trial.
White, who conducted business as Corporate Travel Consultants/Travel by Design (CTC/TBD), unlawfully claimed that her “clients were entitled to substantially discounted ‘military fares,’ by claiming that they possessed discount and/or upgrade certificates,” according to the Justice Department. As her business grew selling deeply discounted air tickets to clients unaware of their illegal nature, White was able to reap considerable booking fees, commissions and bonuses based on her huge ticket volume. She also inflicted excessive financial damage on other agencies as an independent contractor.
“We were pleased to have helped the Secret Service, Postal Inspection Service, and Justice Department apprehend and convict this person,” said Doug Nass, ARC’s manager of fraud investigations. “ARC constantly monitors air ticket transactions for suspicious activity and immediately alerts our carrier and agency customers when necessary. This particular case is a reminder to agencies to protect their firms by fully vetting their independent contractors before hiring them.”
More detailed information about this case is available at http://1.usa.gov/1VObsJ9.
ARC powers the U.S.-based travel industry with premier business solutions, travel agency accreditation services, process and financial management tools, and data analytics. In 2014, ARC settled $89.6 billion worth of carrier ticket transactions for more than 9,400 travel agencies with 13,000 points of sale. By providing world-class business services and products, ARC enables participating agencies and 200 carriers to focus on what’s important—increasing their revenue. Established in 1984, ARC is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.arccorp.com.
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