‘Refugees packed into a train and scammed' - Mother tells of ordeal after she fled her homeland for Ireland

A YOUNG Ukranian mother has told how refugees fleeing their homeland are being scammed by heartless fraudsters.

- EMMA McMENAMY

Katerina Berezhna, from Kyiv, is in Poland awaiting a flight to Ireland with daughter Solomia, seven.

The 31-year-old told how they spent nearly 30 hours crammed into a train carriage trying to flee Putin’s bombs.

She revealed how those risking their lives to escape are being targeted by conmen and human traffickers.

Katerina told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “I was in a group online trying to find a way to leave and a lot of people paid for seats in a van and the driver just went missing.

“Then the group was deleted. I have been telling other Ukrainians not to pay in advance to any transporters.”

Katerina, who hopes to offer her skills as a teacher when she arrives here said refugees risk being scammed at every turn.

She revealed: “On the border there are taxi drivers who are taking insane amounts of money to transport Ukranians to Warsaw or other cities.

“This is despite having the Red Cross close by and the volunteers are taking them for free. That’s another rip-off which is happening.

“There is also an issue with exchanging money on the border.

“ Ukrani ans w ere exchanging hryvnia because they had been told that in Poland you are not able to change the currency anywhere.