Tricksters lure Hungarian jobseekers to UK

Another twelve victims of false advertisements offering jobs in the UK have approached Hungary's consular office in London for help, MTI learnt on Monday.

The job-seekers, most of whom saw the advertisements in their local papers in east Hungary, went to London in the hope of being employed in bakeries. The advertisements offered reimbursement of travel costs and accommodation at a hostel. On arrival, they were each met by a young woman speaking Hungarian, who told them that their hostel was prepaid for two weeks, but charged them 110-250 pounds as a broker's fee. The next day, however, they were turned out of their lodgings without any further information about the promised positions.

The Hungarian consular office reported the first similar cases of fraudulent employment agents in November last year.

The UK opened up its labour markets to new members of the European Union soon after their accession in 2004. According to official British statistics, over 800,000 people from central and eastern Europe have found employment in the country since then.

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