Backdoor Salesman Bilks Several Families of $11,000 and Their Day in the Sun

Ms. Jackson and Mrs. Smith had hoped to vacation in Greece, but on the day before their reservations were to expire, they knew they'd be staying home with the rest of us during the month of September. Brian Clarke, who had promised them airline tickets and reservations on the islands of Mykonos, Santorini and Crete, disappeared from his Fair Oaks office at 10235 Fair Oaks Boulevard, Suite 200, leaving Jackson and Smith little hope of recovering the over $11,000 dollars they paid Clarke for travel arrangements.

Jackson's and Smith's travel plans began to fall out of the sky shortly after Clarke transferred their money to Jet Set Tours International, a travel consolidation company based in Los Angeles. Jet Set claimed that Clarke owed them $30,000 in back payments, and so they took the money given to them by Clarke, which had been given to him by Jackson and Smith, as payment for Clarke's outstanding balance. Jackson and Smith explained their dilemma to Jet Set Tours, but Ross Webster, acting on behalf of Jet Set, insisted on keeping the money as just payment for what Clarke owed him on a prior bill.

To complicate matters, Clarke operated under the several business names of Travel Broker's International, Discover Australia/New Zealand, and Nations Executive Travel Service-all out of one office. On Monday, July 22, 1996, all three signs were gone from the office door, replaced by a "for lease" notice. Clarke's business number, which used to answer with a business message, now answers with a message from the universal telephone lady who says, "Your call cannot be answered at this time." That message, according to three Pac Bell operators, means that Clarke is "most likely under investigation, for one reason or another."

Ms. Jackson and Mrs. Smith know the reason. They just don't know if they will ever see their money, or if they will ever get to Greece.