Bosnian travel agents scamming the community ?!

Hasan Hukic and his family were supposed to be in Bosnia this week. Instead, they are out roughly $10,000 and scrambling to rebook their own flights after the local travel agent they hired more than a year ago went radio silent.

When Hukic finally took a closer look at the Lufthansa reservation code the agent had sent over, it did not work. "I looked at the confirmation and was like, oh yeah, this is a bogus confirmation," he said. With his family's departure date already passed, he ended up buying brand-new tickets out of pocket for June 30.

What has stunned Hukic most is how many other people appear to be in the same boat. He says he has spoken with travelers who believe as many as 7,000 customers booked Bosnia trips through the same agent and are now dealing with similar problems — unconfirmed seats, vanished communication, and summer plans in limbo.

A family member of the travel agent told reporters the agent had been out sick, which is why bookings fell through, and promised that refunds would eventually be issued. For families already at the airport with suitcases packed, that timeline is little comfort.

Hukic's advice for anyone booking a big international trip is simple. Verify every reservation code directly with the airline, be skeptical of prices that seem unusually low, and do not assume a familiar name in the community is the same thing as a legitimate, bonded travel operation. "Even if the ticket is going to cost you a little bit more money, but it's legit," he said, "go ahead."