In a conversation with anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee, Tasneem Moosa said she has lived out of South Africa for years, and has not ‘skipped the country’ as has been widely reported
PRETORIA – The so-called holiday swindler, CEO Tasneem Moosa of Hello Darlings insists she did not “set out to harm anyone or take their money”.
Thousands of people are desperately looking for Moosa – who is facing criminal charges for allegedly defrauding people who had paid her for overseas trips.
In a conversation with anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee, Moosa said she has lived out of South Africa for years, and has not “skipped the country” as has been alleged.
“I did not set out to harm anyone or take their money. I was just trying to give the SA public good holidays at affordable prices,” she said.
The outspoken anti-crime activist and journalists has been roped in by the victims who have reported criminal cases against Moosa.
On Sunday, Abramjee said he wrote to Moosa, and she responded.
“I texted Hello Darlings CEO Tasneem Moosa, dubbed the Travel Swindler with questions. She has responded,” Abramjee updated his more than 500,000 followers on Twitter.
In the response, Moosa said her family in South Africa is in jeopardy.
“I have lived overseas for years and have not skipped the country as is being reported by yourself and others. The figures being reported as fact by yourself and other media are also wholly inaccurate. My family is in jeopardy,” Moosa said.
“We have received numerous threats to our lives. How can I (return) until my family is safe?”
Moosa, who goes by the name Tazz Moosa, operated a company called Hello Darlings, which offered travel packages to overseas destinations. Her travel agency was run through her other company, Human Marketing Capital. The agency, which arranged travel packages for women, even relied on social media influencers to punt its offerings.
Her victims say she made off with at least R100 million.
In her statement released earlier, Moosa vehemently denied the alleged figures.
“The list of refunds which has been released amounts to a total of R26 million and not hundreds of millions as has been reported. Of this figure, about R7 – 10 million has been paid back. Again this will be verified by the various authorities involved by using our bank statements of the only accounts we have,” she said.
Last week, hundreds of victims allegedly conned by Moosa elevated their demands for “immediate and urgent action” from law enforcement agencies in South Africa.
One of the victims, Dr Faraaz Akoo, who is also an administrator on the “Hello Darling – Recovery” group created on Telegram, which has so far garnered over 3 400 members, said the victims are going all-out to recover their money.
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