Industry shock at Sunvil fraud
The industry has been left reeling by the revelations of massive fraud at Sunvil, as exclusively revealed by TravelMole yesterday (see earlier story).
But many people have expressed their support for managing director Noel Josephides, and their relief that the operator is now in a strong position after recovering the bulk of the cash.
The story was the talk of the industry, with over 5,000 people logging on to this site within two hours to read the details.
Many were shocked that the fraud, involving millions of pounds over a long period, could go on undetected for so long.
John Hewson, of Virtually There, asked: “What of the auditors? Sloppy book keeping that can result in such massive fraud could endanger the viability of any consumer protection schemes.”
Others said the story acted as a wake-up call to businesses to closely monitor their accounts.
Nick Cooper, director of Villa Plus, said: “Anyone who thinks “there but for the grace of God’ needs a serious review of their business model”.
But there was also genuine support for Josephides, a well-respected figure in the industry. Ironically, Sunvil is now in a stronger position than before after discovering cash that it did not previously know belonged to the company.
William Burton, the chief executive of The Travel Acquisition Company, said he was “pleased Noel was on top of it”.
He added: “I know that Noel has been on this one for some months now and recovered a lot of the money stolen, but it is really sad that a trusted employee can systematically defraud his colleagues in such a way, putting everyone’s livelihood potentially at risk for short gain.”
by Jeremy Skidmore (http://www.jeremyskidmore.com/)
Jeremy Skidmore
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt