Durban - Since news of a fraudulent travel agency called Hello Darlings hit the mainstream media, the internet has been abuzz trying to locate its CEO Tasneem Moosa, who has been missing in action since late February/early March..
But what really went down with Hello Darlings, Tasneem Moosa, and the social media influencers involved? Here are ten things you should know:
- News breaks of a CEO named Tasneem “Tazz” Moosa, operator of a so-called travel agency that made away with around R100 million in client monies.
- Affected clients point out that Moosa had been in the hot seat since January after numerous clients complained about the company. Late refunds, little to no communication, all on WhatsApp and shady business practices were flagged on social media.
- Influencers, who were tasked with marketing the business, received money, partially paid and free trips in return. All but a few stopped marketing in January and announced their split from Hello Darlings.
- A group of affected residents mobilised on Telegram to coordinate their efforts at retrieving their lost funds. The group has more than 3,000 members.
- More than 370 criminal cases were opened, according to the group administrator. Investment capital into Hello Darlings and trip refunds stands at just over R28 million at present.
- Investigations revealed that Moosa may have never been a registered travel agent and used local travel companies to make her bookings.
- A statement was released days after the news of the Hello Darlings scandal broke, claiming to have been written by Tasneem Moosa. In it, she stated that she had not stolen anybody’s money, nor was Hello Darlings a scam.
- Anti-crime activist Yusuf Ambramjee made contact with Moosa, asking if the statement was actually written by her. Moosa confirmed that it was.
- She told Abramjee she was aware of the cases opened against her and would address it “through proper channels”.
- Moosa did an interview with GlowTV announcing that she was advised to liquidate the company in order to settle outstanding creditors. She claims the company was not a pyramid scheme, just a badly run one.
IOL