I became a victim of the 2014 Hajj scam and fraud. As you know Hajj is obligatory once in your life time if you can afford it, which takes place this year in Mecca Saudi Arabia from 2nd to 6th October 2014. I along with my wife tried to go to perform our pilgrimage this year with my life savings and purchased two packages for the hajj from a company Lightstar Hajj group located in 5801 North West Highway Chicago, IL 60631 Phone: 800-260-4254 or 773-807-8692 and run by Rashid Minhas alias Rashid Faridi. I paid him $ 11,400.00 on 5/16/14. This price included the two round trip Saudi airline tickets, hotel stay in Mecca and Medina Saudi Arabia, food and lodging. He kept in touch with me via e-mails, he sent me my flight itinerary with Saudi Airlines for two round trip confirmed reservations leaving JFK on 21st September 2014 and returning to JFK also on 12th October 2014. I also called and confirmed this information twice. On 9/19/2014 he informed me that my hajj visa was denied by the Saudi Consulate as they implemented a new visa issuing system. He sent our passport back on 9/22/14. Along with the passport I saw the visa form that he filled to submit to the Saudi Consulate. In it he intentionally put incorrect names for our mother for me and for my wife, and put the wrong dates for our flights which were required by the Saudi consulate for issuing Hajj visa. In fact he never submitted our visa forms and passport as there was no stamp from the Saudi consulate of any visa denied.
My life and my wife’s life were completely devastated and shattered, as we made plans, took vacation time off from work and made arrangement for our kid’s school in our absence. We cannot sleep at night because of anger, anxiety and frustration. Now he is not refunding our money, and not answering our phone calls. We are trying to do our best to get back to our normal life but it is very hard and we cannot; I have copies of all my documents and e-mails with him and the cancelled check.
Rashid Minhas alias Rashid Faridi is the biggest liar, fraud and scam artist on the face of this earth. He is lying about everything. He is the only one with the Light Star Hajj and there is no other employee he was the only one answering the phone and e-mails and he is not responding to my phone calls and e-mails any more.
List of his lies.
*This a****** is keep writing and sending every one that Saudi embassy denied visa to people who has the US green card, and Canadian nationals. I and my wife have the American passport. So that bullshit that he is telling everyone does not apply to us.
*This Moron when he returned my passport also included the Saudi Visa form that he supposedly submitted to the Saudi embassy. In it he deliberately put in the wrong mother name for me and my wife.
* In the visa form he intentionally filled out wrong airline reservation dates even though he himself made the reservations five months before the Hajj.
*He sent and e-mail with a copy of a fake refund check for $5000.00 in September 2014 which I never received and I don't think I will ever receive it as this was a fraud and scam from the beginning.
He and his one man company is nothing but fraud and scam.
I am also dealing with the same situation. My mother Jabeen Qureshi, she has gone through so much and dealt with Breast Cancer in 2013 and also dealing with my father living in another city. She worked so hard to gather this money. It took 6 months for her to save up to $6,500 for her to save for this Hajj that she dreamed of her entire life! It turned into a nightmare! She worked as a babysitter and did catering from her own home. My mother just moved to Texas and she sent him this money in mail trusting this service. She saw that this ad is always on her app for reading Quran so she knew it would be alright. He sent her in return a bag with a bottle of water, glasses, and a cap from the company travel group. Then he sent a I.D tag as well. My mother was suppose to go October 10, 2014 and return October 25, 2014. She was suppose to get her round trip, hotel, and all other expenses of travel and to Mecca and Medina. She even contacted another woman who claimed that she has gone 4 times already from this Light Star Hajj group and that she said she will be going in the same group with my mother. She told my mother that she will be with her. She stated her name as Suraya, stated she is a widow, and lives in Chicago, and that she will go to Pakistan after the Hajj. Her ticket also did not process either. My mother has been in so much stress and has no idea what to do. The lady Suraya is now in Pakistan and she even sent a Jilbab to my mother as a gift. So she is also another victim. This is so messed up. My mother was a housewife her whole life, finally she saved up some money, struggled, and now it is just gone! How do I file or report this? Who should my mother talk to? Please if someone has been able to figure out and has also been a victim in this fraud share your situation so we can get our money back.
I am also a recent victim of lightstar hajj group in December 2014. I am trying to find out how to proceed in order to recover my money (about $8000). Me and my family were planning to go for Umrah and we sent him money for the tickets and the hotels. He just kept on delaying the visas of me and my family by making excuses. It was around that time that we found out that he got arrested. He never bought any tickets or made any hotel reservations. Can share more information through email.
Light Star Hajj Group Reviews
I became a victim of the 2014 Hajj scam and fraud. As you know Hajj is obligatory once in your life time if you can afford it, which takes place this year in Mecca Saudi Arabia from 2nd to 6th October 2014. I along with my wife tried to go to perform our pilgrimage this year with my life savings and purchased two packages for the hajj from a company Lightstar Hajj group located in 5801 North West Highway Chicago, IL 60631 Phone: 800-260-4254 or 773-807-8692 and run by Rashid Minhas alias Rashid Faridi. I paid him $ 11,400.00 on 5/16/14. This price included the two round trip Saudi airline tickets, hotel stay in Mecca and Medina Saudi Arabia, food and lodging. He kept in touch with me via e-mails, he sent me my flight itinerary with Saudi Airlines for two round trip confirmed reservations leaving JFK on 21st September 2014 and returning to JFK also on 12th October 2014. I also called and confirmed this information twice. On 9/19/2014 he informed me that my hajj visa was denied by the Saudi Consulate as they implemented a new visa issuing system. He sent our passport back on 9/22/14. Along with the passport I saw the visa form that he filled to submit to the Saudi Consulate. In it he intentionally put incorrect names for our mother for me and for my wife, and put the wrong dates for our flights which were required by the Saudi consulate for issuing Hajj visa. In fact he never submitted our visa forms and passport as there was no stamp from the Saudi consulate of any visa denied.
My life and my wife’s life were completely devastated and shattered, as we made plans, took vacation time off from work and made arrangement for our kid’s school in our absence. We cannot sleep at night because of anger, anxiety and frustration. Now he is not refunding our money, and not answering our phone calls. We are trying to do our best to get back to our normal life but it is very hard and we cannot; I have copies of all my documents and e-mails with him and the cancelled check.
Rashid Minhas alias Rashid Faridi is the biggest liar, fraud and scam artist on the face of this earth. He is lying about everything. He is the only one with the Light Star Hajj and there is no other employee he was the only one answering the phone and e-mails and he is not responding to my phone calls and e-mails any more.
List of his lies.
*This a****** is keep writing and sending every one that Saudi embassy denied visa to people who has the US green card, and Canadian nationals. I and my wife have the American passport. So that bullshit that he is telling everyone does not apply to us.
*This Moron when he returned my passport also included the Saudi Visa form that he supposedly submitted to the Saudi embassy. In it he deliberately put in the wrong mother name for me and my wife.
* In the visa form he intentionally filled out wrong airline reservation dates even though he himself made the reservations five months before the Hajj.
*He sent and e-mail with a copy of a fake refund check for $5000.00 in September 2014 which I never received and I don't think I will ever receive it as this was a fraud and scam from the beginning.
He and his one man company is nothing but fraud and scam.
Light Star Hajj Group victim
I am also dealing with the same situation. My mother Jabeen Qureshi, she has gone through so much and dealt with Breast Cancer in 2013 and also dealing with my father living in another city. She worked so hard to gather this money. It took 6 months for her to save up to $6,500 for her to save for this Hajj that she dreamed of her entire life! It turned into a nightmare! She worked as a babysitter and did catering from her own home. My mother just moved to Texas and she sent him this money in mail trusting this service. She saw that this ad is always on her app for reading Quran so she knew it would be alright. He sent her in return a bag with a bottle of water, glasses, and a cap from the company travel group. Then he sent a I.D tag as well. My mother was suppose to go October 10, 2014 and return October 25, 2014. She was suppose to get her round trip, hotel, and all other expenses of travel and to Mecca and Medina. She even contacted another woman who claimed that she has gone 4 times already from this Light Star Hajj group and that she said she will be going in the same group with my mother. She told my mother that she will be with her. She stated her name as Suraya, stated she is a widow, and lives in Chicago, and that she will go to Pakistan after the Hajj. Her ticket also did not process either. My mother has been in so much stress and has no idea what to do. The lady Suraya is now in Pakistan and she even sent a Jilbab to my mother as a gift. So she is also another victim. This is so messed up. My mother was a housewife her whole life, finally she saved up some money, struggled, and now it is just gone! How do I file or report this? Who should my mother talk to? Please if someone has been able to figure out and has also been a victim in this fraud share your situation so we can get our money back.
Another Light Star Hajj Group victim
I am also a recent victim of lightstar hajj group in December 2014. I am trying to find out how to proceed in order to recover my money (about $8000). Me and my family were planning to go for Umrah and we sent him money for the tickets and the hotels. He just kept on delaying the visas of me and my family by making excuses. It was around that time that we found out that he got arrested. He never bought any tickets or made any hotel reservations. Can share more information through email.
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Thanks