Poles conned by bogus job agents

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Polish workers are being lured to Scotland for non-existent jobs then conned out of money and abandoned on the streets, police have warned.

Officers said criminals, possibly also from Poland, were posing as employment agents to entice people to Glasgow.

After arriving, they are asked for Â£200 to secure a job and accommodation, before being abandoned in the streets.

About 20 cases have been identified in the force area, with many more suspected to be going unreported.

The police said the workers are met at the airport and told to head on to a spot such as a bus or train station.

They are then taken to a street and dropped off with just a useless telephone number.

They are literally left stranded in a strange country Pc Pam FlemingStrathclyde Police

Many of the victims speak little or no English and are left very distressed by their ordeal, officers said.

Pc Pam Fleming, from Glasgow's London Road Police Office, said some victims were investing everything to come over to Scotland.

They are targeted through newspaper adverts in areas of Poland which have high unemployment.

Pc Fleming said: "They are literally left stranded in a strange country.

"It is very distressing for the victims who often don't speak much English."

Organised crime

Pc Fleming added: "It's a very small minority of Polish people that are involved in this criminality.

"We really want to nip it in the bud so it doesn't escalate."

It is believed that the bogus agents have been operating for the past two months and are part of a wider organised crime gang.

Police investigating the scam have already arrested three Poles in Scotland - two men and a women.

Pc Fleming warned anyone considering coming to the UK to make their own accommodation arrangements prior to leaving the Poland.

Genuine employment agents do not ask for money up front, she added.