The president of the Public Association “Moldova mea” Fiodor Ghelici said an increasing number of Moldovans become victims of labor exploitation or swindles. Most often this happens owing to the ignorance of those who are deceived. In a news conference at IPN, the activist said that a married couple complained to the association he heads that they worked in Russia and weren’t paid for their work.

Thise spring, the couple was phoned by a distant relative that lives in Russia who offered them to work in agriculture and even gave them money to reach the destination. When they arrived in Russia, a recruiter met tem and accommodated them at an old house, where there were other persons there. The next day they were taken to a field by a bus to gather radish. They worked for a month, but weren’t remunerated. In a month they were taken to gather apples in another village of the same region and worked there for another two months. Initially, they were offered 10,000 rubles a month, but got only 1,000 rubles in advance. When the couple asked for the money, they were told they will be paid three days after they return home, but they didn’t get the money.

Fiodor Ghelici also related another case when a Moldovan was deceived into raising a loan for buying a car for the recruiter from Russia.

According to the activist, the law enforcement agencies are investigating this case. The people in need are recruited to sign documents to purchase vehicles on credit and are offered €50 for their services. Most of the times, the deceived persons do not complain to the police as they do not trust that someone will help them.