Poland’s Border Guard has uncovered a visa fraud scheme used by at least 230 Belarusian citizens. A 40-year-old Ukrainian citizen involved in organising the scheme has been detained in Łódź.
As the Maritime Border Guard Unit said, documents whose authenticity raised doubts were identified during an investigation into illegal border crossings. The trail led to Łódź, where in December 2022 a Ukrainian citizen registered a limited liability company which, according to the documents, was supposed to be engaged in building and industrial cleaning, clothing production, construction work and trade. However, the company carried out no real activity. At the same time, from December 2022 to June 2023, the company issued declarations assigning work to foreigners, which were registered at short intervals at the local district labour office.
The cost of such a document was €400. Border guards established that 230 Belarusian citizens used such declarations when applying for visas at the Polish consulate. By purchasing the documents, the visa recipients knew they would not be working for the company.
During the investigation, it was established that the Ukrainian citizen cooperated with other individuals who have not yet been identified. However, her knowledge of the scheme was limited. The detained woman’s role was to provide her personal data in exchange for payment for the registration of the company, opening bank accounts, electronic profiles and obtaining electronic signatures. At the same time, much indicates that the promised payment was never made to her.
The woman has been charged with organising the illegal crossing of the state border and document forgery. She has been placed under police supervision and banned from leaving the country.
The investigation is continuing, and other people involved in the scheme are being identified.