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Consumers Bilked by Bogus Airline

September 7, 2004
More than 200 consumers scammed by a college student have received refunds. Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly says the victims shelled out for tickets for flights from Los Angeles to Hawaii on "Mainline Airways."

There was just one problem. There is no Mainline Airways. A college student simply made it up.

As the result of a lawsuit filed by Reilly last year, 212 consumers - identified by Reilly's office and the Hawaii Attorney General's Office - have received restitution totaling approximately $80,000. A settlement resolves the original lawsuit against Luke R. Thompson, who was a freshman at Babson College in Wellesley when he was accused of selling airline tickets for non-existent flights over the Internet.

"Consumers should never forget to be careful when buying anything over the Internet -- things are not always as they appear," Reilly said. "This website appeared to be legitimate, but was not."

Reilly's complaint, filed in June 2003, alleged that Thompson sold fares for as low as $89 even though he had nothing in place - no baggage claim, ticket counters, flight crews, leased planes, or permits and approvals to operate flights.

The agreement prohibits Thompson from advertising, publishing, or selling airline tickets, vouchers, or fares, through any medium, including the Internet and e-mail, unless authorized by the United States Department of Transportation. Thompson also cannot inaccurately describe the true status of any of his business operations. Moreover, Thompson is enjoined from acting as a charter tour operator and/or a travel agency without a license. The judgment also imposes a suspended $5,000 civil penalty.

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