Russia arrests suspect who scammed Asian migrants across border
A scammer set up a fake border with Finland in Russia and collected more than $10,000 from four migrants to smuggle them across the border into the European Union.
According to the Daily Mail, Russian police have arrested the scammer. He is said to be from Central Asia, and his victims were South Asian migrant workers.
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| The scammer built the border just like the real border. |
Police said the scammer had no intention of taking the migrants to Finland, a European Union country. Instead, he set up a fake border post complete with fences and signs in the woods, then led the migrants around by car and on foot.
The man's plans were uncovered by Russian authorities. All five men were arrested, Russian border guards said.
A video currently circulating on the Russian internet shows men wearing hooded jackets and hats, standing in the dark, raising their hands to the sky.
Yesterday (December 4), a court in Saint Petersburg fined and ordered the deportation of the South Asian migrants involved in the case.
The conman behind the scheme to smuggle people across the border has been charged with fraud, Interfax news agency reported. "The man never planned to fulfill his promise."