Police are looking for a 27-year-old agent from Victoria, who was reported missing by his family on Monday.
Concerns were raised for Jordan Dittloff, the owner-manager of ACE Travel in Colac, this week, after his family was unable to reach him.
His retail store, which is located in Victoria’s southwest, was closed with a note saying it would reopen on Tuesday, the Geelong Advertiser reported.
Detective Senior Constable Chris Potter, from the Colac Police Crime Investigation Unit said Dittloff, who purchased the former Jetset agency two years ago, said investigations are still early days but police are not suspecting foul play.
Jordan (back middle) was reported missing on Monday.
His Facebook and Twitter page have been removed. His business Facebook page is still up and running – his last business post was on 14 May and featured a video of stopover opportunities in the UAE.
According to the Geelong Advertiser, Mr Dittloff was a highly regarded member of his community and a winner of a business award.
However, police said Mr Dittloff is also under investigation for alleged fraudulent activities.
The precinct is believed to have received at least 20 complaints from travellers who claim they were duped by ACE Travel Colac.
Some of those affected have taken to his Facebook page to share their disappointment, concern and even outrage. Click here to view.
“There’s concerns by his clients about fraudulent activity and we are looking into that. I think a lot of people are upset and concerned. It has come as a shock to the community.”
Detective Senior Constable Chris Potter
A Spokesperson from the Australian Federation of Travel Agents confirmed to KarryOn that ACE Travel Colac is not an ATAS accredited agent nor an AFTA member.
The Spokesperson said the group has spoken to police at Colac and have reported the situation to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).
“Apparently the staff were contacting affected suppliers and dealing with customers as recently as Wednesday. We have spoken to some of the affected suppliers and consumers.”
AFTA Spokesperson
AFTA continues to remind travellers to book travel through ATAS accredited travel agents for professional, expert support as well as peace of mind.
This is third time in three weeks travel agents have come under the spotlight in Australia.
Late last month, CTS Travel – an ATAS accredited agent – went into liquidation, leaving travellers thousands of dollars out of pocket. Read on
Industry groups such as TravelManagers have urged AFTA to review the current accreditation system, as it fails to offer the same protection to consumers that was provided by the now dissolved TCF. Read on
