SINGAPORE – The police and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Oct 16 that they are investigating an individual and two companies for operating as travel agents without a licence.
In a media statement, STB said the man, Mr Lim Yi Shoon, and two companies – I-Travel and LikeTravel – have allegedly been offering to supply travel products to members of the public.
Mr Lim and the two companies are not STB-licensed travel agents, and are currently being investigated by the tourism board, it added.
When queried about Mr Lim and the two companies, the police said reports had been lodged and that investigations are ongoing.
STB’s advisory comes after several posts on social media platforms, including Reddit and TikTok, alleging that Mr Lim or the companies became uncontactable after customers had paid for travel products.
The posts – some of which were put up as far back as August – carry accounts from people who say they were customers who had been recommended the services of Mr Lim or the companies by friends.
STB said that anyone convicted of operating as a travel agent without a licence can be fined up to $25,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
Those who come into contact with Mr Lim or either of the two companies can lodge a report via
https://go.gov.sg/contactstbform
. The report should include relevant information such as booking details and a description of the incident, said STB.
STB said it takes a serious view of such activities and will not hesitate to take enforcement action. It also reminded the public to deal only with licensed travel agents when buying travel products, and to verify if their chosen travel agent is licensed via the
Travel Agents directory on the TRUST website
.
The Straits Times has contacted STB for more information.
