Travel agent jailed for defrauding customers to fund lavish lifestyle

A travel agent who stole money from friends, family and hundreds of members of the public who bought holidays from her, has today been jailed. 

Lyne Barlow, aged 39, formerly of Stanley, County Durham, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment at Durham Crown Court on 3 February 2023. 

The defendant pleaded guilty to the theft of £500,000, 10 counts of fraud and money laundering totalling more than £1.2 million. The CPS authorised the charges against Barlow following a detailed investigation by Durham Police.  

Barlow sold heavily discounted holidays that she advertised on her Facebook page, convinced family and friends to loan her money under false pretences and stole half a million pounds from her mother.

In November 2019, after Barlow was fired from a travel company, she set up her own independent travel agency on Facebook. Through this page she advertised holiday packages to customers for less than full price with discounts. 

Barlow assured customers that she could be trusted by falsely claiming that she was ATOL and ABTA protected. She then convinced customers to part with their money by telling them that if they did not pay her immediately, they would risk losing the generous discount.  

Some customers received the booking and were able to travel, but the majority of holidays were never booked.  

This was because she used new bookings to fund existing bookings and subsidised holidays purchased using money she had stolen from family and friends, in what was described as a ‘Ponzi’ style scheme.  

The defendant also used the money to pay for her own lifestyle, spending it on designer clothes, holidays and parties. 

The scale of Barlow’s fraudulent behaviour affected hundreds of victims who made reports to Action Fraud in 2020 to say they had not received the holidays that they had paid for. 

On three occasions, during the offending, Barlow also claimed to be suffering with cancer and told police and victims that she was undergoing chemotherapy. However, in a subsequent police interview she revealed that she had been lying about the diagnosis, not only to police, but to her closest friends and family.

Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, James Lewis, said:  “Barlow acted with greed, using false promises and deceptive lies, to convince family and friends, as well as hundreds of customers, who all trusted her, to part with their money so that she could sustain her own lavish lifestyle.  

“Fraud is an insidious crime and the cost to the many victims in this case has not just been financial; it has also caused huge emotional distress and extreme disappointment to devastated customers who had to find out their holiday did not actually exist at a time when the country was in the grips of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

“Thanks to the thorough investigation by Durham Police and to all of the victims who came forward to report her, we were able to bring Barlow to justice.  

“We will now be taking steps to recover this money taken through Proceeds of Crime.”

Detective Sergeant Alan Meehan, of Durham Constabulary’s Economic Fraud Unit, who led the investigation, said: “Fraud is a horrendous crime and Barlow’s actions were appalling.

“She made a conscious and deliberate decision to do what she did. There were points at which she could have put a stop to it all, but she carried on and now she is now paying the price for her actions.

“Sadly, so many people have been affected by what she did, lives have been changed forever and some will never be the same again.

“Not only did Barlow offer holidays she could not deliver, but she also took advantage of the generosity and understanding of those around her, which has resulted in such far-reaching consequences.

“She wanted a quality of life she could not afford, which resulted in her defrauding her family, friends, and even complete strangers.

“This is one of the biggest fraud cases Durham Constabulary has ever dealt with and I would like to again thank everyone who came forward for their patience and understanding while we carried out what was a thorough but lengthy investigation.”

The CPS is committed to working with law enforcement to bring prosecutions where criminals commit fraud and to compensate victims, wherever possible, through confiscation proceedings. 

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online.

Action Fraud’s top tips to avoid falling victim to holiday fraud

• Stay safe online: check the web address is legitimate and has not been altered by slight changes to a domain name – such as going from .co.uk to .org.
• Do your research: don’t just rely on one review – do a thorough online search to ensure the company is credible. If a company is defrauding people, there is a good chance that consumers will post details of their experience, and warnings about the company.
• Look for the logo: check whether the company is an ABTA Member. Look for the ABTA logo on the company's website. If you have any doubts, you can verify membership of ABTA online on their website. If you're booking a flight as part of a package holiday and want more information about ATOL protection, or would like to check whether a company is an ATOL holder, visit the CAA website.
• Pay safe: wherever possible, pay by credit card. You should avoid paying directly into a private individual’s bank account.
• Check the paperwork: you should study receipts, invoices and terms and conditions, and be very wary of any companies that don’t provide any at all. When booking through a Holiday Club or Timeshare, get the contract thoroughly vetted by a solicitor before signing up.
• Use your instincts: if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.