Olympics jobs scam dupes hundreds of foreign workers
09:41 15 Sep 2008
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Hundreds of Eastern European workers have been conned by a scheme which promised them jobs on the London 2012 Olympics site, according to a BBC investigation.
Some 550 Slovakians paid £550 to convicted East London fraudster, Nigel Lewis, who promised them work on the site of the Olympic Village, and accommodation on a cruise ship in Docklands. The jobs advertised were a mix of catering and tradesman positions.
But after the cash was deposited in Lewis's business account, he vanished, and the jobs failed to materialise.
Many of the Slovakians had taken out loans in the hope of securing jobs through Lewis. A Slovak recruitment agent, who dealt with the application, said that Lewis "was very enthusiasatic about the whole idea".
Lewis is reported to have been sentenced to 120 hours community service in 2003 for a similar job scam in Weymouth.
Full details of the investigation will be aired on a BBC programme tonight.
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