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.