More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Scammers quick to take advantage of the Thomas Cook collapse have already started trying and trick people out of their money.
Customers in Kent who had booked a holiday with the collapsed travel firm have been targeted by fraudsters via texts, calls and emails asking them for financial details by saying they can issue a refund for cancelled holidays and flights.
One woman from Rochester who had booked to a holiday to Turkey in October, had booked through Teletext Holidays, but her flight was with Thomas Cook.
However, after the collapse, Teletext Holidays said they would try and re-arrange the flight, but the holidaymaker was asked to pay another £160 per person for alternative ones, which were not even direct on the return flight.
So the woman cancelled her package with Teletext Holidays and is due to receive a full refund to her credit card.
But the day after cancelling the package, she received a email which looked like it had been sent from Thomas Cook asking her to click on a link so she could get a refund for her cancelled flights.
The 47-year-old who didn't want to be named, said: "I knew it was a scam immediately as I'd already cancelled with Teletext Holidays.
"I work in the IT industry so I am aware of such scams, but other people may not realise this sort of thing happens.
"It's wicked really, the email came just a day after the collapse of Thomas Cook, it's shocking they try and take advantage of other people's misfortune and so soon."
Thomas Cook has collapsed during the early hours of Monday morning after 178 years of trading.
The company had failed to get the £200 million it needed to keep its lenders happy.
The travel company had 13 branches here in Kent but everyone who worked there is now out of a job.
Action Fraud have tweeted about the fraudsters to warn people not to fall for the scams and be wary of any unsolicited text messages or calls.
Six jobless Thomas Cook employees in Deal were told to ignore any knocks on the door as they were allowed back into their office to collect their belongings on Monday.
Single mum Victoria Dyson, who is known in the Deal store as Millie, said she burst into tears while collecting items from her desk of almost 20 years while customers stood at the glass doors.
The largest repatriation operation also got underway to bring home the 160,000 British tourists who're were overseas.
One mum from Medway, who is battling aggressive cancer is one step closer to getting her dream holiday back on track after it was cancelled in the Thomas Cook chaos.
Charlotte Cooper discovered she would not be able to take her daughter Delilah to Disneyland Paris as she booked it through Thomas Cook.
The three day holiday was crowdfunded by members of Facebook group Medway Together, but now Eurostar has allowed 24-year-old Charlotte to rebook her journey free of charge.
