Virgin duped into free flights by staffer

Black woman in handcuffs
A Virgin Australia call centre staff member has duped the airline into booking $225,000 worth of free flights.
The staffer now faces almost two years jail time for the crime, according to a report in The Courier.
Using a loophole and abusing her position, Margaret Vaaipu Mose was able to book 134 flights over a two-and-a-half-year period until she was arrested in July 2015 and subsequently fired from her position. Virgin was able to cancel 40 flights after discovering the fraud.

According to the report, Mose “paid” for the flights using virtual money held in 71 “travel back accounts” she fraudulently created. These accounts held funds from cancelled flights until they are re-booked at a later date.

Mose largely gave away free flights, mainly to Samoa and New Zealand for members of her church congregation, family and friends, the District Court was told, per the report. It was advised she has not reimbursed the airline for the booked flights.

 

The court was told some family and friends paid her directly for the flights, but the airline never received the funds.

She received cash deposits totalling $140,000, prosecutors said, however Mose claimed most of this was payment for hotels and hire cars, per the Courier report.

 

Latest News

  • Products

Embrace the journey: Traversing the world with the Shokz OpenRun

If you’ve been on the wrong side of a final call in the airport, or missed the stop on rail journey, it might be time to invest in a pair of Shokz OpenRun headphones. Originally marketed as headphones for fitness fanatics, runners or cyclists with a keen to steer clear of a prang with a car, […]

  • Tour Operators
  • Tourism

TTC: Deals are driving up demand for September trips

The latest market research from TTC Tour Brands shows interest in international leisure travel remains high for 2024, with 77 per cent of Australians over 18 still planning trips this year. Notably, 28 per cent of those travellers are eyeing September for their journeys. Europe continues to be the most popular destination, with 68 per […]

  • Aviation

Qantas ‘working urgently’ to fix app data leak

Qantas is looking into customer reports that passengers have this morning been able to access other passengers’ personal information on the airlines app. X user Lachlan posted that he was able log into different accounts every time he opened the app. My @Qantas app logs me in to a different person each time I open […]

  • Hotels

Revamped Wailoaloa Beach hotel opens as Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa

Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa is open and ready for bookings after the first phase of a multi-million-dollar transformation. Part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ premium collection, the transformation has seen the completion of 106 guestrooms showcasing contemporary interiors reflective of the premium Crowne Plaza brand and is a first for the […]

  • Luxury
  • News

Kamalaya Koh Samui clinches clutch of wellness awards

Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa has so far clinched five prestigious awards in 2024, including being inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ at the World Spa & Wellness Awards in London. Founders of the Koh Samui sanctuary and spa John and Karina Stewart expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the awards. “We are profoundly honoured […]