L'Escala travel agency owner arrested over €2m fraud

The Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police force, arrested the owner of a travel agency in L'Escala on Wednesday. She is under investigation for fraud, and police believe the scheme is worth more than €2 million.

Officers say close to 400 people were affected. Some paid for holidays that never existed. Others learned partway through their trip that their stay had not been fully paid for and that they still owed money.

Jordi Casanovas is a deputy inspector and head of the central economic crime area of the Mossos' criminal investigation division. He said the woman had no civil liability insurance and used the money she took from customers to pay off debts.

From last-minute deals to fixed-price packages

The agency traded as M'Escapo Viatges and began operating in 2024. At first it sold cheaper, last-minute holidays. These deals filled gaps left by other travellers who had cancelled their bookings.

According to sources close to the case, the owner later moved into fixed-price holiday packages. Those sources say she offered prices described as "very competitive". She told customers she could do this because she dealt directly with agencies in the destination countries and cut out intermediaries.

Word of mouth helped the business grow. Some of those now affected said they had travelled with the agency before without any trouble. That experience led them to book more holidays and to recommend it to others.

There was one condition on the offers: customers had to pay the full amount upfront, in a single payment. In recent times the owner worked remotely and had no physical office. Customers could only reach M'Escapo Viatges through its website and social media accounts. Both were shut down in August.

How the case came to light

Problems surfaced this summer, when some families decided to cancel trips they had booked. They waited for weeks, but their money never arrived.

Some customers never got as far as the airport. When the time came to leave, the agency had not sent them their tickets.

Several of those affected filed complaints with the Agència Catalana de Consum, the Catalan government's consumer protection agency. After a number of formal requests, the owner told them her licence had been withdrawn.

Police reports then followed one after another. The number of victims grew day by day until it reached almost 400.

Business closed since early August

The agency shut down at the start of August, once the case became public. In a statement posted on social media, the owner said she was suspending "all activity". She blamed problems with access to tour operators and with management.

In the same statement, she said she was working to refund whatever amounts customers were owed. She apologised to her clients and said she had never meant to harm anyone. She insisted the situation was not premeditated and said she had not profited from it at any point.

Released without bail

The case against the woman is for aggravated fraud. At midday on Wednesday she appeared before court number 5 of the civil and investigating section of the Figueres court of first instance.

The judge released her provisionally without bail but imposed several precautionary measures. Her passport has been withdrawn. She may not leave Spain without judicial permission and must appear in court whenever required. The judge also ordered a preventive seizure of assets worth €2 million.

What This Means

For the hundreds of families affected, the arrest is a step forward, but it does not put money back in their pockets. The €2 million asset seizure suggests the court wants to protect the chance of compensation. However, it is not yet clear how much can actually be recovered, especially since police say the agency had no civil liability insurance.

The case also shows how quickly trust can build around a small local business through word of mouth. Several warning signs appear in this story: full payment upfront, no physical office, and contact only through a website and social media. Residents and visitors booking holidays may want to keep these in mind.

It is worth watching how the aggravated fraud case develops in the Figueres court. It is also worth watching whether the complaints filed with the Catalan consumer agency lead to any further action.