Alpha Travel Agency, travel agency stock drops,fraud charges
Travel agency Alpha is the target of fraud charges in Canada after the company was accused of selling fake credit card numbers.
Alpha said the charges were the result of an investigation that uncovered an internal security breach that resulted in unauthorized access to credit card data.
Alpha was not named in the criminal charges, but the company said in a statement the charges are part of a wider probe and that it will cooperate fully.
Alpha is a Canadian travel agency and travel website.
The company said it is cooperating fully with the charges and will vigorously defend against them.
Alpha Travel, a travel agency based in Toronto, said it has suspended all of its Canadian operations and is currently under investigation.
The Toronto company said Friday it is currently not operating any Alpha sites in Canada and is not accepting new credit card payments.
Alpha has been the subject of a series of high-profile fraud charges and is under investigation by Canadian and U.S. law enforcement authorities.
In December, a judge in the U.K. dismissed a fraud prosecution against Alpha, finding that the company had acted within its regulatory authority.
Alpha’s founder and CEO, Ian Lee, is currently in jail in the United States.