Cartels Are Targeting U.S. Timeshare Owners

The European Union has dropped its previous late-2026 target for launching the European Travel Information and Authorization System, or ETIAS, leaving the long-delayed travel requirement without a firm start date. For now, visa-exempt visitors from countries including the United States and Canada do not need to obtain an ETIAS authorization before traveling to participating European countries.

The change follows problems with Europe’s separate Entry/Exit System, or EES, whose rollout has contributed to lengthy waits at some airports and border crossings. The Financial Times reported in July that EU-LISA, the agency responsible for the technology behind the systems, no longer considered a 2026 ETIAS launch feasible. The agency’s management board is expected to revisit the timetable in September, with a 2027 debut still considered possible.

The EU’s official ETIAS website currently states that the system is not operating and that applications are not being accepted. Officials say travelers will be given several months’ notice before the requirement takes effect.

Once launched, ETIAS will generally cost €20 and apply to visa-exempt travelers entering 30 participating European countries. An authorization will be valid for up to three years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first. It does not change the existing limit of stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

Read more at TravelPulse.

Travel through California’s Big Sur region remains heavily disrupted as the Timber Fire burns in steep terrain above the coast. As of Wednesday morning, the wildfire had grown to 3,150 acres and remained 5% contained, according to fire officials. Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect for several areas along the Big Sur coast.

Highway 1 is closed to the public between the Fernwood Resort area and the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Vista Point, cutting access through a major section of the popular coastal route. Officials have also closed all state parks in the Big Sur area because of the fire.

Evacuations have affected some of Big Sur’s best-known destinations, including Nepenthe, the Henry Miller Memorial Library, and Alila Ventana Big Sur. Officials have urged visitors to stay away from the affected area while firefighters work to protect homes and build containment lines along the Highway 1 corridor.

More than 900 personnel are now assigned to the fire. Crews reported increased activity early Wednesday near Partington Ridge and Coast Ridge Road, although much of the fire has continued to spread through grass, brush, and oak woodland. The cause remains under investigation.

Read more at The Guardian.

More than 200 people were rescued after a passenger ferry traveling from Bali to Lombok caught fire early Wednesday morning, leaving one person dead and at least two others injured.

The Putri Yasmin was traveling from Padangbai in Bali to Lembar in Lombok when the fire broke out at about 4:15 a.m. local time. Authorities recovered the body of a 19-year-old Indonesian woman, while rescued passengers included foreign tourists.

The unusually high number of evacuees has also raised questions about the ship’s passenger manifest. Initial records listed only 131 people aboard, including 17 crew members, yet rescuers ultimately removed more than 200 people from the vessel. Indonesia’s transportation minister said authorities would investigate the discrepancy. The ferry was also carrying 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles.

Rescue crews faced waves reaching approximately 13 feet, complicating efforts to get passengers to safety. At least two survivors were taken to a hospital. Although survivors told authorities the blaze appeared to have begun in a cargo truck, investigators have not yet determined the official cause.

The incident comes less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry caught fire near Java, killing at least five people.

Read more at People.

EasyJet passengers traveling through France could face disruptions this weekend as flight attendants plan to strike on August 15 and 16 over working conditions.

The SNPC-FO union announced the walkout Wednesday after negotiations between the airline and several unions failed to produce an agreement. The union has blamed EasyJet for any cancellations or other disruptions that result from the action, arguing that employees’ concerns have gone unanswered.

EasyJet, however, said it has made an offer intended to address those concerns and has urged unions to cancel the strike, with additional talks already scheduled for September. The carrier said it will attempt to minimize disruption and plans to offer affected customers options including free transfers and refunds.

The labor dispute comes as EasyJet is in the process of being acquired by investment firm Apollo in a deal valuing the airline at £5.7 billion, or roughly $7.7 billion. Passengers booked on EasyJet flights involving France on August 15 or 16 should monitor their reservations closely for schedule changes.

Read more at Reuters.

Companies allegedly linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) are continuing to seek money from U.S. and Canadian timeshare owners months after the United States sanctioned a network associated with the fraud, according to an investigation by El País.

In February, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Kovay Gardens resort in Nayarit along with five individuals and 17 Mexican companies associated with what officials described as a CJNG-led timeshare fraud network. Treasury says the resort used deceptive sales practices and shared customer information with cartel-controlled call centers that could repeatedly target owners with resale and other schemes.

Victims interviewed by El País described being promised unusually large payouts for timeshares they already owned after purchasing or exchanging into vacation packages connected with Kovay Gardens. When the promised money failed to materialize, some were subsequently approached by purported real estate, escrow, or legal firms demanding additional payments for taxes, fees, or administrative expenses before the funds could supposedly be released.

In one case examined by the newspaper, companies sought thousands of dollars in purported Mexican tax payments while supplying documents that a tax attorney determined were fraudulent. BBVA also told El País that supposed bank documents provided to one victim contained inconsistencies and referred to an account product the bank does not offer.

The scale of Mexico-based timeshare fraud extends beyond this particular operation. The FBI says approximately 6,000 U.S. victims reported losing nearly $300 million to Mexican timeshare schemes between 2019 and 2023. Treasury says such scams frequently target older Americans. A Justice Department official quoted by El País said proceeds from CJNG-linked timeshare fraud help finance the cartel’s broader criminal operations.

Read more in El Pais.