Elizabeth Escusa of Salt Lake saved her baby-sitting earnings for a year and thought she bought four airline tickets to Manila when she paid $2,520 to a Chinatown travel agent, only to discover there were no tickets.

Escusa and several other customers allegedly fell victim to Ligaya Baldugo, owner of Coloma's Travel Service on River Street. Baldugo took in thousands of dollars from them for tickets allegedly never provided.

“;I'm very disappointed right now,”; said Escusa, who was looking forward to visiting her 84-year-old mother and taking her grandchildren to see their cousins. “;I want my money back. I want her in jail, too. I'm just upset and disappointed. She did this not only to us, but to how many people, too.”;

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs has received 15 complaints this year against Coloma's Travel Service, which has been in business since 1993, and one last year. The Honolulu Police Department had five theft reports filed as of two weeks ago against the travel agency, HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said.

Jean Angrand, owner of a pawnshop next door to the travel agency, said that “;over 200 people came down”; looking for Baldugo and trying to get their money back.

He said it got so bad, police encouraged them to shut down the business.

Angrand said he recalls six months ago a few people came with the same complaints, “;but in the past two months there was a flow of people, and they come crying to me.”;

He said a group of 15 people set to leave for the Philippines on a Saturday found out on a Thursday they received nothing in return for the $15,000 they collectively paid for tickets.

Baldugo allegedly told Escusa to pay in cash on Dec. 16. She also accepted a check made payable to cash from Escusa's sister Carolina Omiya.

On Jan. 4 they heard from a relative that something was wrong with Coloma's, so Omiya called Philippine Airlines the next day.

“;They couldn't find my name,”; Omiya said. “;I didn't have any reservation.”; She discovered the ticket confirmation number on the itinerary was bogus.

Escusa, who thought she was buying tickets for herself, her husband and grandchildren, said when she tried to file a police report, she was told it was too soon since the purported departure date was in April.

Yu said that “;up until the trip date, it's a civil matter. After the trip date has passed, it would be considered a theft, generally speaking.”; But victims can file a police report before the purported departure date.

Anyone who has purchased tickets should provide police with a receipt for payment, a trip itinerary and any other supporting documentation such as copies of the front and back of the canceled check and a bank statement showing it was cashed, Yu said.

The travel agency's windows have been covered with brown paper, and a sign saying, “;Opening soon under new company and management”; was posted.

Baldugo could not be reached for comment.

According to Angrand, Baldugo's brother will reopen the business.

He said Baldugo was a nice, quiet woman who worked hard and was at the office from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“;To me she was always a decent person, but what she did was wrong,”; Angrand said. “;Sometimes nice people do a lot of bad things.”;

Omiya fears Baldugo might flee the country.

Jim Fulton, spokesman for the city prosecutor's office, said that such white-collar theft cases can usually be prosecuted easily because there is often a paper trail. He said once a police investigation is done, and they are able to find probable cause and proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the case can be prosecuted.

Fulton said the incidents are reminiscent of the case involving Jimmy's Travel. In 1998, James K.S. Lee, owner of Jimmy's Travel, pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree theft after he offered cheap prices for Las Vegas packages, then used moneys paid for future charters to offset his losses for the loss leaders.

About 2,500 customers paid in advance for Las Vegas trips that were canceled.

When the company ran out of money, Lee shut it down, filing for bankruptcy in June 1998.

Anyone with complaints against Ligaya Baldugo, doing business as Coloma's Travel Service, can call the DCCA at 587-3295 or go online at businesscheck.hawaii.gov, click on “;consumer resource center,”; select “;Regulated Industries Complaints Office”; and select travel agency complaint forms.