Swindler faces up to 6 years in prison for cheating seafarer

A conman  promised a seafarer to get him a cadet job on board a vessel  and asked  RUB130,000  for this service, but did not perform it.

The Novorossiysk Police Investigation Department  completed the investigation of a criminal case initiated against a 21-year-old local resident suspected in committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - "Fraud".

It was found  that the young man promised to assist  his friend to find a cadet job on board a foreign vessel  to undergo a shipboard training. He asked RUB130,000 for his service. The conman spent the entire amount for his own needs. After that, the seafarer  filed a police report. The false recruiter was quickly found.

The case has already referred to court. The swindler faces up to a lengthy prison term - up to 6 years.

- This unfortunate incident highlights two serious issues the industry experiences , - the Seafarers' Union of Russian emphasizes. - The first issue relates charging recruitment fees - seafarers should know as twice two is four  that they have to pay for assistance in their employment  on board vessels never and under no circumstances. Good crewing agencies get money for recruitment services from shipping companies,  not from seafarers. 

The second problem is a shipboard training.

“It is sad but true that it is really difficult to find a place on a ship to undergo  a  shipboard training,” the SUR acknowledges. - So, it's no wonder  desperate people are ready to pay anyone who promises them to assist to go to sea. However, practical training  is an important stage in the life of any student, especially marine cadets. A shipboard training gives  cadets an opportunity to better understand what the profession of seafarer really is and to learn more about the industry. Besides, a shipboard training is counted in the qualifying sea service.

According to SUR, the difficulties in finding a cadet job are rooted mainly in the insufficient number of training vessels and the inconsistency of the educational program with the needs of shipowners. 

Based on information from livekuban.ru; photo:  IStock