Britons taking in Ukrainian refugees demand tougher background checks after being victims of fraud and theft

A number of Britons who have opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees are calling for stricter background checks after they were allegedly victims of fraud and theft by their guests. DailyMail.

The hosts fear that some Ukrainians are “taking advantage” of the British social security system, demanding Universal Credit and other benefits, despite the fact that many of them are wealthy in their own right. They claim to spend money on trips to Harrods, Botox injections and Apple products, while not being required to participate in household bills, Lawrence writes. DOLLIMOREcolumnist for the British edition

Some 170,000 Ukrainians have been taken in by British families under the Homes for Ukraine program since Vladimir Putin launched a war against their country last February. However, the program has been fraught with problems, with many cases of host-guest relationships breaking down due to deep cultural differences, and the financial strain on homeowners amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

The British, who were let down by this process, have now created an online community to offer each other support.

Among them are victims of alleged theft and fraud, as well as, according to one of the leaders of the forum Emma Nishigaki, 53, more than a dozen cuckolds whose husbands “turned the head” of their young guests.

The British are annoyed by a lot of what is happening. In particular, travel companies are now offering bus trips to and from Ukraine so they can “spend their Easter holidays at home.” Milos-Tur (pictured) offers such trips for as little as £55 (€60), with buses leaving for Ukraine weekly and offering passengers champagne and croissants.

Ukrainians arriving in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine program are eligible to live, work and claim benefits here from day one. When applying for state aid, they must themselves declare any property they own in Ukraine, although this is unlikely to be taken into account.

In one post (pictured), a 19-year-old from Kiev, barred from leaving his country due to military age, admitted that he plans to use his disabled grandfather to get an exit permit.

They will receive some support from Universal Credit if their declared savings are less than £16,000 and full support if they are less than £6,000. They will also be eligible for childcare support and housing if they take a job, as long as their savings do not exceed £16,000.

Those who have reached retirement age can also qualify for a pension credit of around £200 a week, although those with reported savings in excess of £10,000 will have their eligibility reduced.

However, some British hosts believe that many Ukrainians do not declare how much money they actually have.

In a private Facebook group for disgruntled hosts, accessed by MailOnline, one Brit uploaded a photo of two Apple AirPod cases and an Apple bag, writing: “Here’s what I found in the trash bag they left behind. No words. £189 each “. She claimed that her guests were claiming Universal Credit.

Another writes: “Shoppings made this week by our ‘poor’ guests from Ukraine… A Harrods teddy bear and baby items (for a friend’s baby when she returns to Ukraine next month) and Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses worth over 200 pounds… a must have for visiting a war-torn country, I think.”

Meanwhile, numerous Ukrainian cosmetics companies, some of which have been established in the past few months, are running ads on their webpages offering Botox and permanent make-up treatments that can cost hundreds of pounds per visit. This comes amid concerns that some Ukrainians continue to receive benefits from countries EU after returning home or even after moving to the UK.

Poland recently discovered that many of them arrived in the country only to sign up for benefits and then immediately returned, forcing the government to take tougher measures. According to the Polish newspaper Obserwator Gospodarczy, the new rules introduced last year mean that Ukrainians must now apply in person for benefits and stop receiving them if they leave the country for more than 30 days. From January of this year, they will also have to reimburse the state for half of their benefits, and by June they will be completely self-supporting.

MailOnline has several social media posts (pictured) offering fake documents to Ukrainians arriving in the UK, including driver’s licenses and fake DVLA exam certificates.

The government said more than 80,000 Ukrainians have been suspended from the benefits program since tougher rules were put in place, including spot checks on their registered addresses.

The UK seems to have taken note that the Level Up Department released official guidance last week for hosts to report to their guests – and vice versa – about visa, allowance and immigration fraud, as well as any other form of criminal activity.

Another post in a Facebook group called Scotland For Ukraine shows dozens of boxes of cigarettes that appear to be illegally imported from Ukraine, with a caption in Ukrainian urging interested buyers to PM the seller.

This comes after a major report was published in January that the real hosts’ passport details were being used in multiple visa applications. Emma Nishigaki, 53, told MailOnline today that she found her passport was used to submit up to 22 visa applications without her knowledge. The math tutor claimed to have kept in touch with a Ukrainian woman named Tatiana, whom she believed she agreed to sponsor, before she was quickly blocked after she gave her passport details and address, which are required by Ukrainians applying to participate. in the program “Houses for Ukraine”.

One 22-year-old woman, who says she has been living and working in Switzerland since March 2022, said this week she is looking for a sponsor in the UK because “there are a lot of opportunities”, adding: “But I need a little help to decide the question of housing, as it is the most expensive, and at first I will not be able to provide it myself.

Ms Nishigaki runs a Facebook group of hundreds for fed-up British presenters who have had negative experiences and who she says are afraid to speak up for fear of being labeled xenophobic. She says there are undoubtedly Ukrainians who really need help, especially from the east of the country, where fighting is the heaviest. At the same time, the poorest, most disadvantaged and endangered Ukrainians are struggling to get out of the country, while many of those who have succeeded are “fake” refugees from richer regions in the west, such as Kiev, who have long wanted to move to Britain.

Source link