A Sydney-based travel agent from the southern suburbs has confessed to orchestrating a deceitful scheme that not only disrupted countless overseas trips but also resulted in her unlawfully obtaining over $77,000.

Zahra Rachid, who managed Travel World in Arncliffe, was involved in booking international flights for various customers heading to destinations such as Portugal, Greece, Lebanon, and Iran. Unbeknownst to her clients, Rachid would cancel these flights and keep the refunded money for herself.

This fraudulent activity came to light as Rachid pleaded guilty to defrauding eight customers in the years 2023 and 2024. Her actions left many travelers stranded and out of pocket, with no recourse to reclaim their funds.

In one notable incident, just days before Christmas, Rachid took steps to cancel a customer’s booking via the third-party flight consolidator, Airtickets. She then contacted Emirates directly, attempting to expedite the refund process without the knowledge of her client.

The unsuspecting customer only realized the bookings had been annulled the following year, and unfortunately, never received a reimbursement from the travel agency.

Court documents reveal that Rachid’s travel agency was facing severe financial difficulties at the time of the fraudulent activities. Between January 2023 and June 2024, the company’s bank account was overdrawn on 837 separate occasions, highlighting the desperate financial situation that may have driven her to commit these crimes.

The 54-year-old pleaded guilty to eight counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

She had been facing 82 charges, but 72 were previously withdrawn and dismissed.

She’ll be sentenced in Downing Local Court in January.