The Half-Way Tree police have in their custody a man who is alleged to have been collecting money from persons while promising to push paper work at the police records department of the Ministry of National Security.

Yesterday, as he turned up at the office for another day of 'work', he was nabbed sometime after 10 a.m. during a sting operation after being identified by a group of people who were said to be victims of his scam.

A plain-clothes security accosted the man and even used his belt to tie his hands, getting a hold of him until personnel from the Cross Roads police arrived.

left stranded

Information reaching THE STAR suggests that the man charges up to $10,000 for his 'service' with a number of people paying up only to be left stranded.

Upon receiving the money, the alleged scammer disappears.

Crime chief for the St Andrew Central police, Deputy Super-intendent Michael Phipps, told THE STAR that the man is expected to be interviewed and will be charged after.

According to DSP Phipps, the police caught wind of the man's actions after he is said to have responded to a man who placed a newspaper advertisement for possible employment.

"A gentleman put an ad in the paper seeking work ... . The man who was held responded and said he could set up a job in Grand Cayman. he charged the man a fee for getting a police report and other paperwork," DSP Phipps explained.

The man paid the required money but received nothing which was promised, so the police were subsequently alerted.

craft

The Ministry of National Security says it is not familiar of the situation, however, one employee in the department told THE STAR that the man has been working his craft for some months now.

Just last week, two women were clueless and without a penny to even pay their bus fares back to the country following transactions with the man.

"He has been doing it for a long time now but it became a hot topic last week when the two women were left without money to even go back home," the employee who requested anonymity said.

The police say they have heard the claims and will be checking to see if the man is linked to any other reports of a similar nature.