‘He promised me a new life in the US’
A UKRAINIAN refugee has described how she narrowly escaped the clutches of an American trafficker posing as a UN volunteer.
Margaerita Plotnick was with her mother and teenage cousin when she was approached at a refugee reception centre by the stranger who offered to take her to the US.
It was only when the suspicious 25-year-old waitress secretly checked US entry requirements for Ukrainian refugees that she discovered the stranger was lying.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday after travelling to Ireland, Margaerita said: ‘I had a lucky escape. I could have been a victim of this predator.’
Margaerita was approached at the Medyka crossing after 33 days of Russian bombardment and a shortage of food and water forced her to leave her home in Kharkiv.
When she and her family members arrived at the Polish border, they were taken by bus to a sprawling industrial site on the outskirts of Przemysl, which has been converted into a reception centre for refugees.
They were excited to be offered accommodation in the Irish city of Limerick after registering. ‘We thought we were safe,’ she said.
But Margaerita was approached by ‘George’, a 44-year-old Russianspeaker with a US passport who told her he ran an import and export business in America.
‘He was wearing a yellow jacket like the other volunteers and he had an official wristband which meant he had been vetted to provide transportation,’ said Margaerita. ‘He told me he was from the UN.’
She said George’s initially affable charm changed when she declined his offer. ‘We refused but he wouldn’t stop asking,’ she said.
Margaerita alerted a volunteer at a centre help desk, who challenged the stranger.
‘George’ was escorted out by security and has been banned from all humanitarian centres in Poland. The US embassy is investigating.