Zinaida Vartparonyan purchased a tourist package from Mariam Manukyan to Egypt on May 9, 2026. She learned about her from a friend who is a client of Mariam. According to Zinaida, Mariam said she provides tourism services and offered packages for trips abroad at significantly lower prices than the market.
"My friend was the first to order a package from her. She said that first they transfer the advance payment, then the rest of the money before receiving the tickets. When I saw that she had ordered, I also asked for Mariam's phone number because I wanted to go to Egypt," Zinaida recounts.
Mariam sent her various offers that were about 30% cheaper than those of other companies. Zinaida chose one of the options and transferred 50,000 drams as an advance payment on May 9, 2026, then a few days later 182,000 drams for hotel booking, and then transferred the remaining 235,000 drams. In total, she paid 467,000 drams.
"After transferring the entire amount, I was waiting for her to send the tickets and bookings. But for two days she didn't answer either calls or messages. I have kept all our correspondence and transfer receipts," she says.
At first, Zinaida thought it was just a communication problem or that Mariam was not in town, but her suspicions were confirmed when their third friend, who also purchased a ticket through Mariam, found out at the airport on July 13 that there was no reservation or ticket in her name, everything she had was fake, and she could not go on vacation.
Zinaida and the other friend's tickets were booked for August, and they realized they would not be going either, as they had fallen victim to fraud.
Zinaida made a post on Facebook about buying a tourist package and later finding out she had been deceived. She urged users to be cautious, and many citizens responded to her post, sharing personal messages and comments, stating they had also fallen victim to the same woman's fraud.
Lilit Khghatyan left a comment under Zinaida's post and shared that she needed to get an appointment at the visa application center, TLScontact. Zinaida told Lilit that she had made a reservation, but Lilit called and found out that there was no appointment booked under their passport details.
"The first time she delayed our entry, claiming there was a problem, the second time we went, we waited and found out there was no appointment for us, nor could we present our documents. As a result, we lost our nerves, money, and planned trip. Another family was supposed to enter with us for paperwork, they had paid 500,000 drams for a complete package, and all the documents were forged - starting from the hotel reservation to the confirmation letter from TLS," Lilit recounts.
According to her, Mariam Manukyan had represented herself as being from the tourist company "Jan Armenia" to several people, but it later turned out that she had also deceived the company "Jan Armenia," causing significant financial damage.
According to the lawyer of "Jan Armenia," Hayk Harutyunyan, a criminal case regarding fraud in especially large amounts is being investigated in the Central Investigative Department, in which the company is involved as a victim.
According to the lawyer, Mariam Manukyan's actions caused the company about 14 million drams in damages. "Jan Armenia" has fully compensated its clients for the losses incurred from its own funds, fulfilling its obligations to its clients.
Mariam Manukyan collaborated with "Jan Armenia," selling tourist packages and embezzling clients' funds.
The lawyer noted that Mariam Manukyan was not considered an employee of "Jan Armenia," she simply collaborated with the company, as well as with other tourism organizations.
One of the victims also told Zinaida that ten years ago he bought a ticket from Mariam, and later found out that there was no reservation, he reported it to the police, but the law enforcement agencies did not take action on the case. One of the previous victims had previously given Zinaida Mariam's home address. Zinaida went to Mariam Manukyan's house with two friends.
"She was very calm. She said that if we didn't leave, she would call the police. And she would say that we were committing hooliganism by invading her personal space. At the same time, she insisted that she too was a victim, that she had also been deceived," Zinaida recounts.
The victims have contacted the police
The victims have filed a report about the crime. According to Zinaida, after the report, the investigator contacted the victims, but they currently have no information about the progress of the case.
Zinaida says that all victims should contact law enforcement and raise this issue. She personally spoke with more than ten victims. "The more people present their stories, the more complete the case will be, and I hope that we will all get answers about what happened and whether it will be possible to get our money back," Zinaida Vartparonyan notes.
In the Datalex judicial information system, there are two criminal cases against Mariam Hamletovna Manukyan. In the first case, Mariam Hamletovna Manukyan was charged with fraud with the intent to steal someone else's property, having deceitfully taken 1,500,000 drams from Arman Martinovich Gushchyan on August 14, 2021.
Mariam Hamletovna Manukyan presented herself as an employee of a tourist company, deceitfully promised to organize a vacation for Arman and his family in Dubai. After reaching an agreement, she deceitfully informed that she had ordered tickets for the flight Yerevan-Dubai for 5 people on August 19, 2021, and a hotel room in Dubai, promising to also organize the obtaining of entry permits to the country and the submission of COVID-19 tests. A preventive measure was chosen in the form of a signature not to leave. In May 2022, the case was sent to court with an accusatory conclusion. During the trial, on December 26, 2022, the victim Arman Gushchyan reported that the damage of 1.5 million drams had been fully compensated. He asked the court to terminate the criminal prosecution and close the case, as he had reconciled with the accused. At the same time, the preventive measure in the form of a signature not to leave was lifted.
In the second criminal case, Mariam Hamletovna Manukyan was charged with committing fraud in especially large amounts of 26,190,272 drams from the company "Air Dilijan." In this case, 10 people have the status of victims. The court case is ongoing, and the preventive measure is a ban on leaving the country. The next court session is scheduled for September 9.
In 2024, Mariam Manukyan founded the company "MT Tour," and she is the 100% owner and director of the company. The enforcement service has imposed restrictions on the company's activities. Mariam Manukyan is prohibited from managing property. According to the enforcement service's proceedings, on December 16, 2025, the company "YUKOM" filed a request and demanded 97,763 drams and 12,000 drams from Mariam Manukyan for notary services.
We also tried to contact Mariam Manukyan, but the three phone numbers provided by the victims were unavailable. Mariam Manukyan also did not respond to the message sent to her Facebook page.
The Investigative Committee informed "Hetq" that for information about Mariam Manukyan, we should submit a written request. We sent a request and will publish the response as soon as we receive it.
