A man from the Transnistrian region has been arrested on fraud charges after allegedly being involved in an impersonation scam.

According to the Moldovan Police, in March, the suspect and his accomplices pulled over three Ukrainian citizens somewhere near Rezina town, posting as border officers. They then seized their passports and told them to get in a car. The scammers stopped on an unlit street in Chisinau, where they solicited money, threatening the Ukrainians with deportation. The suspects eventually were able to extort the equivalent of 26,460 lei.

Investigative actions are now underway to identity the other suspects and other potential crimes perpetrated by the gang.