Kazakh conwoman lured millions with fake promises of jobs in Norway
The conwoman’s main attraction was her promises to find eager jobseekers jobs in Norway online without much sweat.
According to court papers, the woman rented an office in the city of Kokshetau and posted the job announcements on OLX (Kazakhstan’s analogue of Craiglist) asking those interested to contact her.
Bound by the desire to find a job in Norway, desperate jobseekers dipped deep into their pockets. Each victim is believed to have paid between KZT 100,000 ($260) and KZT 700,000 ($1,800) to the conwoman. The woman managed to con at least KZT 11,4 million ($30,000) with the promise of non-existent jobs in Norway.
The crime was investigated under Section 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (fraud). The conwoman was sentenced to five years in prison and fined for KZT50,500 ($130).