“Marina” and “Christopher” scammed out of millions – I hope the scammer is caught and the money is returned – Taxavisen

The man is accused of defrauding twelve people for money, almost all of his twelve victims have an immigrant background. The amount he allegedly embezzled was around twelve million kroner. In April 2022, the investigation was supposed to begin, but before that he disappeared without a trace.

up to NRK found him in Romania. He told NRK that he had not cheated anyone for money and that those who believed they had been cheated were themselves involved. He said that others are snakes, not him.

The man was arrested on January 20 in Timisoara, Romania with the help of Romanian police. He was handed over to Norwegian authorities on January 29 and has now been detained for four weeks.

Now the victims are finally seeing a glimmer of hope surrounding the man who allegedly surrounded them in prison. At the same time, they also believe that they can get the money back now.

Dagsavisen has previously written about migrant workers “Marina” and “Christopher” who are heavily in debt. Every month they say they have to pay NOK 24,000 for the unused loan. The couple wish to remain anonymous for fear of their own safety.

According to the charge sheet, the man allegedly helped his victims apply for loans, leading them to provide him with their bank card and personal details. According to the charge sheet, the accused had obtained loans and credit card debt in their name and he used the money for his own purposes.

According to the chargesheet, the alleged offenses took place between 2017 and 2020.

Taksavisen has requested an opinion on the case from the defendant's counsel, attorney Farid Bouras of the law firm of Elton. He has not yet responded to the inquiry.

Response to police work

Over the years, “Marina” has paid about NOK 10,000 in debt and debt collection from her salary, and “Christopher” pays NOK 14,000 per month, the couple says.

They have little to fuss about, and both agree to all the extra time they get, they say.

The couple is now getting help from their families. The family sends, among other things, food and money, but that's why the couple came to Norway. They wanted to find happiness here and help their families back home.

“Christopher” says he is a little confused by the banking system in Norway. He says he was naive and thought this would never happen in Norway.

– When we went to the bank, we were met behind closed doors and asked to submit a digital application. I don't have bank chips in my home country. He says everything is paid in cash.

Both react to NRK's ​​journalists finding the man in front of the police.

– We are very happy that the police have caught him now, but we waited a long time and paid off an unusable debt. We live on very little. It has affected me and my wife mentally and physically. So, “Christopher” says, “It is a bit strange that some journalists can track him down so easily, with the police taking so long.”

“Marina” and “Christopher” now see the future a little brighter and hope that they can now realize their dream of owning a house in Norway if they get back the money they were defrauded of.

[ Han tok ett blikk på meg og sa: «Jeg er alkoholiker, og det tror jeg du også er» ]

– Hiding underground

Police prosecutor Laine Loben Petersen said he did not want to comment at this time on how the man is handling the charges.

– The Southeast Police District and FAST (Fugitive Active Search Team) in Cribose, together with the Romanian Police, continue to work to find him. Several investigations have been conducted in this context. When NRK searched for him, the police also controlled his whereabouts at a time when an operation was planned. This was made difficult when he “hid underground” after he was confronted by NRK, he says.

Egil Sundvor, editor of the Documentary and Social Department at NRK, responds as follows:

– We understand that the victims are reacting because the police took so long to find him, but it is unfair to say that NRK is to blame. We know that Norwegian and international police worked for more than half a year without finding or arresting him before publishing this case. So we're surprised they believe they're controlling him. Police know very well that we are working on this case and NRK is looking for him.

At present, the police are interrogating the accused to give an explanation. They will then assess whether further investigative steps are to be taken.

– Victims say there are many people who allegedly cooperated with the person. Do you have a track you're following right now?

– We will not comment on that now. “We are working to get an overview of this,” says Peterson, the police prosecutor.

He explains that it's difficult to say at this point how likely victims are to recover the money, but they are trying to get the funds they can confiscate through the investigation.

[ «Pensjonsbibelen»: Eksperten gir deg alt du må vite ]

Home dream

“Marina” and “Christopher” have a separate house for themselves and their children. With little knowledge of the Norwegian language and no understanding of banking systems in Norway, they needed help getting a loan.

– A family friend who is an immigrant told me that you need equity to buy a house. In three years, we managed to save up to 500,000. “We didn't exactly live a luxurious life, and there was a lot of overtime with no money for vacations or other luxuries,” “Marina” told Taxavison.

This family friend became a consultant of sorts, helping the couple go to several banks to get a mortgage. At the same time, he also talked about getting to know a man who helped many by taking loans.

Now this is how the accused entered the picture. According to the couple, the man must have called on his own initiative. They were asked to come to his office with the last three pay slips. The couple went to his office in Netre Slotsgate. A fashionable area where you can find, among others, the exclusive store Louis Vuitton.

The couple was delighted to receive the guidance they needed to achieve their dream home.

Both gave their bank cards and transferred the savings to the account number as they said. Eventually, the now-accused stopped responding, according to the couple. When Bill arrives, “Marina” and “Christopher” are distraught. The couple then realized they might have been scammed. Close to NOK two million and NOK 500,000 in savings are gone, say “Marina” and “Christopher”.

[ Marianne går ikke på ski: – Jeg føler at Marka ikke lenger er for alle ]

Also Read: Accused of defrauding migrants of 12 million – disappeared without a trace

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