Helsinki police say they suspect almost a hundred foreigners have been victims of an aggravated fraud scheme.
The police department's people trafficking investigation group has sent its initial investigation to prosecutors to consider charges over the scheme, in which nearly a hundred victims were tricked into paying for non-existent work contracts at a Finnish cleaning firm.
Police say the victims are mainly from the Philippines.
The case is being investigated as aggravated fraud, with the victims asked to pay for contracts that the fraudsters had no intention of actually writing, and a promise of a residence permit in Finland.
Each victim paid between 500 and 1,500 euros for the non-existent contracts. The money was transferred via intermediaries to the main suspect in the case, who is an entrepreneur in the cleaning industry resident in the Helsinki region.
Police say there was never any intention to employ the people.
"THis is the sale of employment contracts, not organising anyone's entry into Finland," said Sami Isoniemi from the Helsinki Police department.
In addition to the main suspect, four intermediaries are also suspected of involvement in the case. Some of them are based outside Finland.
Police uncover dozens of victims
Police have reached around half the suspected victims in the case, partly through co-operation between officials in other EU countries and the Philippines.
The victims viewed the offer as sufficiently believable and above board that they sought work-based residence permits from the Finnish authorities, paying fees of 490 euros per application to the Finnish Immigration Service plus other processing fees.
Police estimate the scam yielded some 100,000 euros, with the victims also paying out some 50,000 euros to the immigration authorities.
The scam took place in 2023. The maximum sentence for aggravated fraud is a four year jail term.
