A scammer from Polotsk defrauded trusting car enthusiasts and novice footballers of Br300 million

September 10, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Internal affairs bodies of the Vitebsk region are identifying victims of a fraudster who promised German cars and employment in Germany, the ninth department (for the Vitebsk region) of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GUBOPiK) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus informed a BELTA correspondent today. Department employees are providing operational support for a criminal case initiated against 32-year-old Alexander Shako, a resident of Polotsk with multiple convictions for fraud. During the investigation, it was established that the Polotsk resident, posing as the director of private enterprise "Alex-Divine", from October 2009 to June 2010, offered services to facilitate the purchase of cars from Germany, employment as a driver in Germany, and the organization of tryouts for young footballers in German football clubs. He received funds totaling Br300 million from citizens residing in the Vitebsk, Brest, Gomel, Grodno regions and Minsk. The fraudster's actions were not original. He posted an advertisement for car purchase and delivery services on a website popular among car enthusiasts. Those who responded to the ad paid an advance of 1.8 thousand euros or $2.5 thousand. After receiving the deposit from buyers, the company director soon stopped answering phone calls and disappeared. For possible employment in Germany, the fraudster charged 500-600 euros. He received the same amount from the parents of young footballers for the opportunity to travel to Germany and participate in tryouts for German clubs. Moreover, the director of "Alex-Divine" did contact German teams, and they sent invitations to aspiring footballers to his address for obtaining visas to Germany. Showing these invitations to parents, the fraudster took money from them and disappeared without a trace. A criminal case against citizen Shako has been initiated under parts 2, 3, 4 of Art. 209 "Fraud" of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, which provides for up to 10 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. Currently, 28 people who were defrauded have contacted the internal affairs bodies. However, the investigation believes that there are more victims and therefore asks them to contact their local internal affairs departments or call +375 212 36-50-44 in Vitebsk. -0-