Losses in ticket scam
double to $200,000A man allegedly sold bogus
tickets on Hawaiian Airlines
Honolulu police said the estimated losses in an alleged airline ticket scam doubled to $200,000 in one day.
Wayne Abe: Fugitive is wanted for a $35,000 grand jury theft warrant in a 2001 case
More victims are coming forward as police continue to investigate the case of a man who allegedly sold bogus Hawaiian Airlines tickets for round trips to the West Coast. On Monday, police estimated the losses at $100,000, but yesterday said that figure had doubled.
"The cases that are coming in involve people who are buying tickets in a group for family or work," said CrimeStoppers Detective Letha DeCaires. "Just one case involved $60,000 in ticket purchases."
Although police have not officially identified a suspect, they put out a news release this week that said they are seeking fugitive Wayne Abe. He is wanted on a $35,000 grand jury theft warrant stemming from a September 2001 case. Abe allegedly sold Hawaiian Airlines tickets but never provided the tickets to his customers, according to police.
A Hawaiian Airlines statement last week said the suspect in the recent cases solicits people to buy five round-trip mainland tickets at $250 apiece, for which they supposedly get the sixth ticket free. Although the first ticket is usually legitimate, the other tickets are invalid, Hawaiian officials said.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
