Key Aspects:
- Police in Nassau County, New York, arrested a woman accused of running a travel agency scam.
- Tavia Thomas allegedly collected tens of thousands of dollars for cruises and trip that were never booked.
- Nine people who paid nearly $36,000 for a Royal Caribbean cruise discovered their fraudulent booking on embarkation day.
A woman in East Meadow, New York, who owned and operated a Long Island travel agency, has been arrested on multiple counts of fraud and larceny, Nassau County police said on January 6, 2026.
Authorities allege she collected tens of thousands of dollars from customers for travel and event bookings, including cruises, that were never made.
Investigators identified the accused as 47-year-old Tavia Thomas, who ran Destiny Travel out of 1936 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow. Thomas was taken into custody after several victims reported they never received the travel services they paid for and were unable to recover refunds.
According to local news accounts, police detailed one of the alleged scams involving fake bookings for a Royal Caribbean cruise departing out of Bayonne, New Jersey.
Nine would-be passengers, who paid Thomas $35,753.98, arrived at port for a July 2024 cruise and were told their bookings were fraudulent and null and void.
Police also said Thomas faces three counts of grand larceny, three counts of scheme to defraud, and two additional grand larceny charges related to separate incidents.
The fraud didn’t stop with cruises, according to investigators. Thomas allegedly accepted $5,000 from two people who believed she was booking a destination wedding at an ALG Vacations resort, while a third reported case indicates Thomas collected over $10,000 from a family planning a 75th birthday trip to the Dominican Republic.
None of the bookings were ever made. Thomas was the sole operator of Destiny Travel, and customers paid by cash, check, or electronic transfer.
Detectives are now seeking possible victims of additional fraudulent bookings to contact the Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.
Online Presence Raises Questions
According to Thomas’ website, Destiny Travel NY has been serving New York City and Long Island since 2016.
The site emphasizes a team of “experienced travel agents” and claims certifications and endorsements from industry organizations such as the American Society of Travel Advisors, CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), and others.
Thomas said, “I founded Destiny Travel NY to offer stress-free planning for unique and memorable destination weddings.”
One customer shared a review on Destiny Travel on TheKnot on August 19, 2024. “Tavia Thomas is a scammer and she must be stopped. My group of 80 people were set to leave to Cancun, Mexico, for our wedding 07/17/24 and Tavia called us 07/16/24 stating the vendor cancelled. Which was a compete lie.”
“She stole our money and she keeps doing this to multiple groups of people,” the review continued. “She is a liar and a thief and she must be stopped and in jail!”
Another review, posted in 2022, was glowing, with the author writing, “Destiny Travel was so attentive to my needs and went above and beyond with making my day come true.”
Destiny Travel is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which had rated the company with an F for failure to respond to three complaints filed against the business and the length of operation.
At press time, the BBB had acknowledged Thomas’ arrest, and Destiny Travel NY’s address is linked to UPS Store.
