Manchester woman tied to alleged scamming of UVM students - Gloucester Daily Times

MANCHESTER The Manchester woman's travel company at the center of fraud allegations here has been pegged by authorities in New Jersey as the business that allegedly defrauded 20 University of Vermont students who purchased bogus plane tickets for a trip to China.

Manchester-based travel agent Margaret J. Corrigan, 49, is facing charges of larceny, credit card fraud, and identity theft. Her alleged victims span the nation.

But while local police departments across the country have remained tight-lipped about the case, some details have nevertheless surfaced.

On Aug. 16, the online news service NorthJersey.com reported that a group of 20 UVM students were among Corrigan's victims, including several from Bergen County, N.J.

According to Police Chief Patrick Rotella of Upper Saddle River, N.J., the students allegedly purchased airline tickets to China from Corrigan, but, upon arriving at the airport, found that the tickets were fraudulent.

One student also found an unauthorized withdrawal of $2,700 on a credit card account used to make the purchase, authorities said.

Locally, Corrigan is facing charges of larceny, credit card fraud and identity theft after a number of customers went to Manchester Police to say they had been hit with fraudulent charges on their credit cards.

Corrigan was arrested by police on an outstanding felony warrant issued through Salem District Court in late July. According to that warrant, Corrigan faces three counts of larceny of $250, three counts of credit card fraud, and three counts of identity theft.

Manchester police have said the arrest here followed a five-month investigation that also involved the Attorney General's office and the Boston Division of the Secret Service.

Manchester Police Chief Glenn McKiel said in a prepared statement that authorities had expected other victims to come forward, and other allegations to surface.

Corrigan, of 7 Big Rock Road, Manchester, apparently operated her online business out of her home. The business address is also listed on some websites at 119 Pleasant St.

Little other information is now available, however, on Academic Travel Services International, which appears to lack its own website. The business's phone line has been disconnected. Corrigan also did not return a call to her home.

The Manchester Police Department did not return calls regarding any updates on the case, and the state Attorney General's office and Boston Division of the Secret Service, both involved in the investigation, refused to comment.

A number of complainants, however, have posted scathing reviews on Academic Travel Services International's page on MerchantCircle.com, a social network for local businesses.

Dating from May 2010 through March 2011, the commenters posted from Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, California, and New Jersey. Several claimed thousands of dollars in unauthorized credit card charges, the difficulty of procuring a refund for said charges, and general poor service.

These same commenters applauded Corrigan's July 28 arrest on MerchantCircle, though they noted they anticipate their troubles were far from over.

"Getting my money back is a different story," one wrote.