Samara travel agencies defraud clients, then intimidate them
Dissatisfied clients of Samara travel agencies Tour-ne and «P-Sam» have contacted the editorial office of 63.RU. People claim that due to these agencies (which initially seemed reliable), they were left without overseas vacations and without money. Our correspondent investigated the situation.
The Illusion of Success
Samara resident Elena Daineko was the first to share her story with us. She became one of the clients unhappy with the service quality of the local agency Tour-ne.
In the autumn of 2025, the woman planned a family vacation to Vietnam and turned for help to specialists at the travel agency, whose work she had followed on social media for several years. Elena submitted a request on the website, and a manager from the tour firm, who introduced himself as Daniil, contacted her. The young man clarified the details of the future trip and sent a draft contract.
«He said that if the contract was satisfactory and we had decided on the trip, the date, and the amount, then I needed to pay for the tour in full, 100%. And only then come to pick up the signed contract at any convenient time,» the dissatisfied client recounts.
The woman, without hesitation, transferred 313,000 rubles (about $3,130 at current rates). The next day, she received a message that everything was ready for the upcoming journey. Daniil assured that the Daineko family would fly to Vietnam via Kazan, and tickets and the hotel had been booked with the help of their colleagues from another company. The flight was scheduled for 17 October.
«I decided to clarify when I could pick up the tickets and documents. Daniil assured me it would be 2–3 days before the trip. This is normal practice; it«s not my first time flying, and the answer didn»t raise any suspicions,» says Elena.
During the preparation for the trip, the client had several more questions for the manager. She asked Daniil via Telegram. However, according to Elena, the young man was in no hurry to respond. The Tour-ne manager got in touch a week later and immediately apologized for the long silence — he admitted he had «gotten tied up» and simply hadn«t seen the messages.
«Two days before the trip, I see a message from him saying we need to prepare a hotel deposit — 16,000 rubles (about $160). I know such a practice exists. But I was confused that they only warned us now, not before the booking. We had a minor conflict. I simply said that such things should be warned about in advance. Daniil responded rudely, almost lost his temper — saying, is my whole trip just about these 16,000 rubles?» Elena continues her story.
«A Glitch Occurred»
The day before the trip, our interviewee«s husband decided to contact Daniil himself and also pick up all the documents. But the manager stated he wasn»t on site.
The situation escalated a few hours later. Around midnight, Elena received a message about some «system glitch» with the tour operator. This meant only one thing — she and her family weren«t flying anywhere.
«Although two weeks before, when we transferred the money, we were assured that Daniil was in touch with colleagues, everything was fine, we had nothing to worry about. And then this. They apologized to us, offered a 10,000-ruble coupon (about $100),» Elena recounts.
The client«s husband started calling Tour-ne. It turned out the agency had only two employees — Oksana and Daniil Chernov, mother and son.
«Oksana immediately said she couldn«t help us at all. My husband asks, what are we supposed to do? We can»t reschedule our vacation dates anymore. Maybe they could offer some alternative or refund the money? According to Oksana, everything is «frozen over there» and she isn«t going to offer us anything at all. Supposedly, we didn»t even have a contract with them. My husband says it«s inhumane, they did take the money,» Elena voiced her version of events.
The dissatisfied clients decided to talk to Tour-ne employees in person. They went to the office center on Moskovskoye Shosse, but were met with closed doors. Elena«s husband started calling Daniil to find out when he would be on site (the editorial office has a recording of the conversation).
«We decided to ask when we could pick up our copy of the contract. Daniil hesitated, said he wasn«t on site, didn»t know when he would be, started making excuses. And then a message comes saying that no one will sign a contract with us retroactively,» Elena asserts.
During the conversation, the dissatisfied clients began to clarify and find out if there really was some error.
«We asked for confirmation from the tour operator about the system glitch, the application number. Already at this stage, we suspected something was wrong. They didn«t answer our questions. They only suggested we write a request for a refund. And wait,» Elena recounts.
At first, the waiting period was 10 days. Then, according to the dissatisfied client, it increased to 2 weeks. Then it became 21 days altogether.
«At home, we wrote a request addressed to the director of Tour-ne for a refund. My husband went and delivered one copy to the Chernovs. Simultaneously, we consulted a lawyer. He explained that after 10 days we have the right to file a civil lawsuit in court. But no one can guarantee we«ll get our money back. This is an individual entrepreneur (IP), and he might have no money or assets. Accordingly, a lawsuit might not be satisfied, as the defendant has nothing. And the court process itself would last from 6 to 9 months,» says Elena.
The woman was also advised to file a report with the police. Initially, Elena didn«t want to do this, thinking that their family — the only dissatisfied clients of Tour-ne — and law enforcement might not give her situation much importance.
«I wrote about my problem on [a banned social network], made videos. And new victims started to appear. Someone wrote a negative review on 2GIS, Yandex, or Google. Although before this, the agency had a fantastic reputation — only positive reviews. And then bad ones appeared. I found their authors on social media, contacted them. It turned out they had a similar situation,» Elena explained.
So the Daineko family found several other Samara residents unhappy with Tour-ne«s actions. Together they filed reports with the police. Over time, as Elena asserts, residents of Saint Petersburg and Murmansk joined them.
«We had correspondence with both the director and Daniil. The young man doesn«t answer questions about the tour operator or the application. Then he just blocks us, or creates a group chat with his mother, and she also says: »Wait for the money,«» Elena asserts.
Continuing to draw attention to their problem, the dissatisfied clients kept writing negative reviews about Tour-ne on various platforms.
And here they encountered strange and even brazen pushback from the tour firm«s employees.
«Some aggregators simply didn«t publish such reviews. On other platforms, representatives of Tour-ne responded to us, demanding the removal of the review as unreliable, damaging their business reputation. Moreover, Daniil sent me threats that he would sue me for slander. He demanded an apology and the removal of the review,» the dissatisfied client recounts.
According to Elena, not only new but also regular clients of Tour-ne found themselves in a difficult situation. Some had turned to the Chernov family not for the first time, and it seemed that trusting relationships had been established.
«When this whole story started, Oksana Chernova registered another legal entity at the same address, and one of its activities is «tourism,»» says Elena.
She and other dissatisfied clients of the travel agency also found the behavior of police employees strange. Allegedly, they are in no hurry to investigate the details of Tour-ne«s activities.
«We have 9 reports filed, and they haven«t been combined into one. One local police officer had two appeals sitting for two weeks. I contacted the investigator handling my complaint. I started finding out why the agency is still operating, why the victims haven»t been interviewed. I was told directly: «I»m not going to run around offices looking for reports,«» Elena voiced her version.
The Daineko family and other dissatisfied clients suspect the Chernovs have a worked-out scheme and connections with law enforcement.
«We«re knocking on all doors. I already wrote a complaint to the MVD general to take control. I»ve also reached out to local bloggers and journalists. They contacted Tour-ne asking to comment on the situation. The tour firm«s employees believe they»ve been slandered, we«re interfering with their work, and they have an impeccable reputation,» Elena asserts.
«Don«t Delete the Review — We»ll File a Police Report»
The editorial office of 63.RU obtained screenshots of correspondence with, presumably, Tour-ne employees:
«No need for fantasies. We«ve been working for a long time and never had such incidents. We had a massive glitch, which we»re now dealing with. For us, this has consequences in the form of losing clients. We don«t shirk responsibility, even despite the absence of a contract. Just be patient, the money will be refunded. It»s only a matter of time. Are you kidding? Let«s end this dialogue. What a kindergarten.»
«Have demands? Please go to court. And wait for the funds to arrive. I won«t give you the application number or tour operator. I already got a call from the tour operator from a well-known tourist with stupid questions, because of which our booking capability with the tour operator was suspended.»
«I«ll block you now! No one scammed you, no one is being rude. Keep these familiarities to yourself. You»ll communicate with the manager! With me — that«s it. This communication is nonsense.»
«In any case, our payments don«t match the amounts in the contract by the numbers. And they aren»t personalized by applications or last names.»
We were also sent a video of one dissatisfied client«s visit to the Tour-ne office. At first, Daniil Chernov tries to explain how and why the tour couldn»t be booked. But at some point, the young man calls security for, in his words, an «unreasonable» visitor.
According to data from the «Kontur.Fokus» system, in 2024, in the village of Staraya Binaradka, Krasnoyarsky District, Oksana Chernova registered an individual entrepreneur (IP) in her name. This legal entity specializes in providing tourist services. The same niche is occupied by her limited liability company (OOO) «Gradel», created on 29 October 2025. It is located in the «Regional Business Center» on Moskovskoye Shosse.
Daniil Chernov was presumably connected to two legal entities in Samara Oblast. The first — OOO «Pronto». It was registered in Samara in 2019 and ceased operations in October 2025. According to «Kontur.Fokus», it was excluded from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (EGRUL) due to unreliable information. This company specialized in the manufacture and sale of textiles. But among its 13 activity areas was also the provision of tourist services.
The second legal entity, of which Daniil Chernov was presumably the founder and director, is OOO «Pronto-M». It was registered in the summer of 2022, but the Federal Tax Service (FNS) already has grounds to doubt the reliability of the information. This company«s main profile is »Activity of travel agencies«. Only one person works here.
Without Hope for Justice
The second company that received a complaint — is «P-Sam». It is linked to the Yermolayev family — Irina and Pavel. As with Tour-ne, they are presumably mother and son.
According to «Kontur.Fokus», 72-year-old native of Tambov Oblast Irina Yermolayeva — is both the founder and general director of the firm «P-Sam». The legal entity was registered in the Promyshlenny District of Samara in the autumn of 2023. The firm«s main profile is »Activity of travel agencies«. In the summer of 2025, Irina Yermolayeva declared herself bankrupt. In September 2025, the Arbitration Court of Samara Oblast agreed with her arguments and proceeded to sell the property.
As for Pavel Yermolayev, officially he has no connection with «P-Sam». But, according to «Kontur.Fokus», he has a trail of «dead» legal entities, in which the word «Pangea» appears one way or another, and whose activities were also related to tourism.
A Samara resident, Anastasia Mikhaylova, complained about the businessman. She also works in the tourism sector.
«We work as a travel agency — we sell tour packages, book through tour operators. With some we have direct contracts, with others we work through intermediaries. One such firm was «Pangea» (in fact, it«s about »P-Sam«. — Ed.) of the Yermolayev family,» Anastasia asserts.
According to her, cooperation with this company began about a year ago, and «Pangea» itself has been on the market for many years. A working scheme was established.
«Clients paid for the tour, we transferred the money and sent the data so that [partners] could book. There were a couple of normal applications, clients flew out. And the other two inquiries were simply canceled. That is, we paid for the tour, cards were issued. But 2–3 weeks passed — and we see in the personal account that the application was canceled and the money was withdrawn,» Anastasia voiced her version of events.
The girl tried to contact representatives of «Pangea», but at first they didn«t answer the phone. Then the business partners voiced the assumption that the money was withdrawn by someone else, but it should be returned.
Anastasia contacted the police, and then filed a lawsuit in the Promyshlenny District Court. From there, the materials were redirected to the Novokuybyshevsk City Court (at Pavel Yermolayev«s place of registration). However, Anastasia no longer hopes for a fair decision.
«Did Not Explain the Reason for the Trip Cancellation»
Besides Anastasia, Samara residents Vladimir Ukhandeyev and Yelizaveta Denisova voiced their claims against Pavel Yermolayev. Their appeals are registered on the website of the Novokuybyshevsk City Court.
Vladimir Ukhandeyev applied to the court with a lawsuit for consumer rights protection and demanded to recover unjust enrichment from Pavel Yermolayev. The amount of claims exceeded 400,000 rubles (about $4,000).
As stated in the documents, published on the court«s website, at the end of April 2025, Vladimir Ukhandeyev turned to a travel agent for help in arranging a tour package and transferred 385,000 rubles (about $3,850) in two installments.
«De facto contractual trust relations developed between the plaintiff and the defendant, since previously the plaintiff had also turned to the defendant <…>. Interaction occurred in «online» mode. The parties had previously concluded similar contracts, which is why the plaintiff had no doubts about the defendant«s fulfillment of obligations,» the case materials state.
As a result, Vladimir Ukhandeyev never received either plane tickets or vouchers for hotel accommodation. He believes that «the tour was disrupted due to the fault of Pavel Yermolayev.»
«Yermolayev P.Y. did not explain the specific reason for the disruption and cancellation of the tour trip, did not specify when and where the funds in the amount of 385,385.00 rubles were transferred,» follows from the documents on the court«s website.
On 6 June, Pavel Yermolayev contacted the dissatisfied client via Telegram. He said he would send a request for a refund and transfer the money to Vladimir Ukhandeyev. However, at the time of the court decision«s publication (17 September 2025. — Ed.) the plaintiff had received nothing.
The Novokuybyshevsk City Court ordered Pavel Yermolayev to return not only 385,000 rubles but also interest for the use of someone else«s money.
Another Samara resident, Yelizaveta Denisova, has claims against Yermolayev unrelated to tourism. As follows from the documents, published on the court«s website, Pavel asked Yelizaveta Denisova to help him sell real estate and concluded an agency agreement with her for 585,000 rubles (about $5,850).
Denisova brought potential buyers several times. With one of them, they even managed to conclude a preliminary sale and purchase agreement. Yelizaveta Denisova prepared to complete the deal, made an appointment at the bank, and informed both the seller and the buyer. But Pavel Yermolayev said he had changed his mind about selling the property. Although soon after, he did sell it, bypassing the agent, thereby violating the contract terms.
The court ultimately sided with the plaintiff again — Yelizaveta Denisova was awarded 585,000 rubles.
«I Don«t Want to Waste Time Talking to You»
The editorial office of 63.RU sent official inquiries to representatives of «P-Sam» and Tour-ne asking them to comment on the situations. Similar letters were sent to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (GU MVD) of Russia for Samara Oblast.
While waiting for responses, a 63.RU correspondent decided to visit the offices of both tour firms. Tour-ne rents premises in the «Regional Business Center» on Moskovskoye Shosse.
One can only guess about the presence of an office here — there are no signs on either the first or fourth floor. The agency employees« workplace was empty — we were met with closed doors.
But on the sign by the door, a phone number was indicated. A 63.RU correspondent called it. Daniil Chernov answered.
«Well, comments have already been online, I have nothing more to add. Overall, as I assume you do too. I ask you then to turn to the Internet, there is a lot of information there that Ms. Daineko posts very actively, very actively tries to promote. And we have already responded to that. I have no desire to repeat myself on this situation again. Naturally, all necessary measures will be taken to resolve this situation. I don«t want to waste time talking with you,» stated Daniil Chernov.
The Tour-ne community on the social network VKontakte turned out to be closed. And the firm«s card in 2gis has been deleted.
We tried to communicate with representatives of the agency «P-Sam» as well. But it turned out to be registered in a residential house, located in a private sector behind a high fence. Getting inside legally is simply physically impossible.
The GU MVD of Russia for Samara Oblast reported that a criminal case has been initiated regarding «P-Sam». However, they cannot yet report on the progress of its investigation.
As for Tour-ne, their activities are currently being checked by representatives of the department for detecting and solving crimes of the Oktyabrsky District of the Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department (OEB i PK) of the GU MVD of Russia for Samara.
«Travel Agencies Don«t Have Their Own Planes»
An expert on the tourism market, founder of the Samara «Academy of Visa Specialists» Natalya Osipova commented on the stories related to the two travel agencies:
«I«ve been in tourism for over 10 years, I»ve seen all sorts of stories in my memory. Tour operators have gone bankrupt, disappeared, and so on. For example, «Zhemchuzhnaya Reka» (Pearl River). They sold very cheap tours to China. And after the second or third plane from Russia, they went bankrupt. Back then, no one got anything back either. Therefore, to avoid such situations, I always recommend buying tours from already known tour operators who have proven themselves on the market. And even with them, bankruptcy can happen. No one is insured against that. So when planning a vacation, tourists still have risks. But a verified operator — is at least some guarantee that you«ll fly or get compensation if something happens,» explained Natalya Osipova.
The companies Tour-ne and «P-Sam» are not familiar to our expert. And Natalya Osipova explained the difference between travel agencies and tour operators.
«It«s worth distinguishing between the concepts of »travel agent« and »tour operator«. Travel agencies don»t have their own planes and hotels. Therefore, a travel agency books them from a tour operator. But it all depends on the travel agency«s manager — whether you trust him or not. It»s better to turn to those from whom you or your acquaintances and friends have already bought tours, flown, traveled, and everything was fine,» the expert added.
At the same time, in our interviewee«s opinion, online reviews are not a guarantee of a firm»s reputation.
«From my experience, I can say that even «Yandex.Maps» didn«t publish comments from my clients. Allegedly they were »too good,« they suspected I bought them. So not all reviews get through. Reviews — are good. It»s status, rating. But you shouldn«t trust them 100%,» summarized Natalya Osipova.
