Polish workers fleeced in bogus Sussex farming jobs scam (From The Argus)
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Polish workers fleeced in bogus Sussex farming jobs scam
3:10pm Monday 18th February 2013 in News By Neil Vowles
Polish families are being tricked by bogus adverts into paying to come to Sussex for non-existent farming jobs.
Eastern Europeans are being conned into starting a new life in Bognor with the false promise of a guaranteed job and accommodation.
In reality, cruel conmen are fleecing the wannabe workers out of £120 for jobs that don’t exist and then leaving them holed up in overcrowded shared homes.
Workers are told to wait for the firms to contact them and have been left waiting for up to a fortnight.
Others have contacted employers who know nothing about the advertised jobs.
Last year Sussex Police had one or two reports of the scam but officers have received three separate reports in the last week as recruitment for the picking season begins.
In one incident a whole family of brothers and sisters were lured over with the promise of work, only to be dumped in a packed shared house with no jobs.
Seasonal migrants
Sergeant Rachel Glenton, who leads the Operation Accent Communities Team working within the Eastern European community in Bognor and Littlehampton, said the reports affected more than ten people but that the total number of people lured over by false adverts could be more.
Workers are promised jobs on Polish and English websites and have to pay for their first few weeks’ accommodation. They have to get themselves to Sussex.
Officers said it is not clear if the scam organisers had another plan in mind for the immigrants.
Sussex Police has been liaising with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority on the issue.
It is advising Eastern Europeans not to respond to the adverts and has also released the warning to the Polish media.
Up to 8,000 seasonal migrant workers, largely from Eastern Europe, come to Littlehampton, Bognor and Chichester every year for seasonal agricultural work.
Sgt Glenton said: “These people are left vulnerable with no money and no income and many are unable to speak the language.
“Packaging and picking firms have their own recruitment process but it doesn’t involve asking for payment.
“Do not hand any money over – you do not have to pay for employment in the UK.”
Anyone with information that could help the Operation Accent team should email operation.accent@sussex.pnn.police.uk, visit the Operacja Akcent Facebook page or use Twitter @sergeantglenton.
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Comments(8)
Alan G Skinner
says...
4:30pm Mon 18 Feb 13
Kiddon72
says...
4:43pm Mon 18 Feb 13
Alan G Skinner wrote:They are from the EU so can't be deported and the uk are required to provide social housing and financial benefits for them.
This is unfortunate, but if there is no work, they must return to Poland. Immigration need to keep a check on this, we can't just have loads of unemployed Eastern Europeans wondering around Sussex. If they are not exercising their treaty rights they must be deported.
Alan G Skinner
says...
6:15pm Mon 18 Feb 13
John Steed
says...
6:25pm Mon 18 Feb 13
the so called scam affects not only baltic states citizens but eastern europe and greek citizens, hundreds fall for it each year, the police have a history of doing nothing about it, or when they try to, doing it in an incredibly inept manner resulting in recently advising one leading light in this activity that no charges of any sort will be arising. the problem is simple the way the scam runs is not illegal, immoral maybe but illegal it is not.
John Steed
says...
6:28pm Mon 18 Feb 13
mimseycal
says...
12:51am Tue 19 Feb 13
Kiddon72 wrote:Hey hop ... Another urban myth proliferator. Sheesh almighty ... do some people never check out the truth of a claim before they accept it as gospel?
Alan G Skinner wrote:They are from the EU so can't be deported and the uk are required to provide social housing and financial benefits for them.
This is unfortunate, but if there is no work, they must return to Poland. Immigration need to keep a check on this, we can't just have loads of unemployed Eastern Europeans wondering around Sussex. If they are not exercising their treaty rights they must be deported.
Before you can claim benefits you have to pass the Habitual Residence test. For EU migrants that would mean having ‘worker’ or ‘self employed’ status (something unemployed migrants would not have). Or having permanent right to reside as a worker or self employed person who has retired or become permanently incapable of work (which would mean that they have spent a considerable time paying in to the kitty).
Bulgarian and Rumanian workers would need to be working in accordance with their accession worker authorisation document.
matlock
says...
7:36am Tue 19 Feb 13
006 and a third says...
3:30pm Mon 18 Feb 13
Oh, hang on, sorry, it's called the new mandatory pension arrangement for low paid workers in the UK. Could both schemes be somehow related? I think we should be told.