A family's vacation was nixed, but their debit card was used to pay for others' trips
CHICAGO (CBS) – A grieving family booked a trip with a supposed travel agent who ended up canceling their vacation but used their debit card to pay for thousands of dollars in hotel rooms for other people.
CBS 2's Lauren Victory hit the road to unravel this mess.
Like Kevin Juggan's tale, this story is a bit of a saga. Keep Kevin's spirit and son Anthony's emotions in mind as we think back to July 2022.
"It was about six months after my father had passed," Anthony said. "You know, we're still reeling from the loss, and we wanted something beautiful."
The Bahamas sounded perfect, and the islands were calling.
So more than 20 Juggan family members snagged a $1,200 deal to the Bahamas, offered by a Chicago-area company called M&M Events.
"The trip was booked for January, which is my mother's birthday and, you know, after you lose someone, birthdays and those days hit different," Anthony said.
"If we do this, we can have some kind of closure, but, um, it wasn't meant to be," said Minerva Juggan.
It's quite an understatement from the family's matriarch.
A relative discovered their hotel confirmation number didn't exist. Then, more red flags popped up.
"We were communicating amongst each other: 'Has anyone gotten an itinerary yet?'" Anthony said.
The vacation never happened. M&M Events blamed a bungled promotion and canceled the day before takeoff.
The family was robbed of relaxation, memories, and, apparently, much more.
"When we were at our most vulnerable, six months after my father had passed, we've never been so vulnerable," he said.
The actual trip began with a stack of paper containing mysterious charges from back in August and September from Expedia.com.
It added up to more than $7,000. The Juggans initially assumed the transactions were for their Bahamas vacation. M&M Events didn't provide a refund.
So they disputed the charges.
"They did take care of it at first," Minerva said.
By 'they,' she meant Chase Bank, but Chase took its $7,200 back in March. In May, shocking details of the denial were revealed.
The charges included a $230 stay in Wisconsin and a $1,400 hotel in Cozumel, Mexico. Expedia told the bank the "customer used the reservation in full, even sharing who checked in.
The mystery deepened.
"I looked at them. Those names weren't mine!" Minerva said. "They used my card because I would see the number."
Anthony added, "You used my mother's debit card to book trips for unapproved individuals. This is fraud."
So Anthony filed a report with Oak Lawn police. He also went to the Brighton Park Library to meet with the owner of M&M Events, Maysoon Nasir. He snapped a photo after he said Nasir gave him only a partial refund and excuses.
"This is fraud," Anthony said. "And 'No. It would've come out the same amount as your package, so I was just moving this promotion to that promotion.'"
Victory: "What we're here to find out is why you use a debit card to book travel for other people?"
Nasir: "Well, we talked about it over the phone."
Victory: "We did, but you can tell me again in person."
Nasir requested to meet CBS 2 but would only explain the Expedia charges.
"I left their information on there," Nasir told CBS 2 over the phone.
During that phone interview, the travel agent apologized for what she said was an automation error with her booking system.
"When I entered the card for the other person like the Puerto Rico trip, or whoever it was, that was billed on his card," Nasir said.
Victory: "You still stand by that your computer made a mistake?"
Nasir: "Whatever I said in the interview, absolutely, 100%."
But other M&M Events customers shared Expedia charges they didn't approve either, and the Juggans' bank documents revealed Nasir has a reputation at a Wisconsin hotel.
"This person is a scammer who takes people's money," one of the documents read.
Victory: "Do you know why the Cove of Lake Geneva said that you're a known scammer?"
Nasir: "No."
Oak Lawn police told CBS 2 they've received multiple reports against Nasir. Chase re-opened its investigation too, but ultimately told CBS 2 their decision is unchanged, and the family's claim was denied.
CBS 2 filled in Governors State University's Professor Fraud (William Kresse) on what happened and wanted to know why the bank said the Juggans authorized the transactions.
"Your course of action has to be against that person that you willingly gave those numbers to," Kresse said. "In a sense, you can see the banks thinking on this. Maybe you gave those numbers to the travel agent told them, 'Hey, book flights for all the members of my extended family,' and then I'll go back and tell the bank, 'No, I was defrauded. Give me all my money.'"
The Juggans swear the funny business isn't on their end.
"My father was the honest, kindest man there was," Anthony said.
And in the end, Nasir kept a promise to pay back the family after CBS 2 got involved.
"I am going to pay him back," he said.
He delivered thousands of dollars in cash with a receipt.
Some family members booked the Bahamas trip with a credit card and were refunded by their banks. Professor Fraud said the Juggans shouldn't have used a debit card because they don't give consumers as many protections, as evidenced by Chase's refusal to reverse its denial.
EDITOR'S NOTE: When Lauren Victory interviewed the supposed travel agent, she spelled her name Maysun Nisar. However, court documents and social media posts suggest it is Maysoon Nasir. She did not respond to messages asking her about the spelling of her name.