{"id":15663,"date":"2026-08-17T20:07:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T01:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=15663"},"modified":"2026-08-17T14:39:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:39:08","slug":"night-escape-from-3500-ukraine-salary-scam-panama-man-describes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/crime-safety\/night-escape-from-3500-ukraine-salary-scam-panama-man-describes\/","title":{"rendered":"Night Escape from $3,500 Ukraine Salary Scam Panama Man Describes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At 41 years old and unemployed, Edmar Camacho saw an Instagram offer of $3,500 a month as a way out. He now calls the whole experience a Ukraine salary scam <\/strong>that nearly cost him his freedom. The job was supposed to involve cleaning areas where Russian troops had been, with a guarantee that he would not be sent to the front. But weeks later, with his passport confiscated and his phone taken away, Camacho was running through the dark near Kharkiv. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A $3,500 Offer and a Cross-Border Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Camacho traveled on June 27 after being contacted through Instagram while he was out of work. The 41-year-old, whose background includes maritime jobs, said he knew where he was going. Still, the conditions he was promised were far different from what he encountered after arriving. He flew first to Istanbul, then traveled on to Poland<\/a>, before crossing the border into Ukraine with a group of eight or nine people from different countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Devastation
Devastation in Bucha Ukraine Credit: https:\/\/www.defensepriorities.org\/opinion\/the-claim-that-russia-doesnt-possess-any-solid-red-lines-or-wont-enforce-them-isnt-supported-by-evidence\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once there, he signed a document written in Ukrainian and Spanish. The first serious warning sign came quickly, because when the group wanted to read the contract more carefully and translate parts of it, they were not allowed. The people handling them kept their passports and mobile phones. Camacho described the pressure directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“When we tried to transcribe the contract from Ukrainian to Spanish, we were not allowed to, because they kept our passport and mobile phone.” [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Training Shortened as the Ukraine Salary Scam Unraveled<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Originally, the recruits were told they would receive about a month of preparation. That window shrank to just eight days before they would be sent to the front. Camacho said he asked to leave, but his travel document was not returned. That is when he began planning an escape with another Panamanian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n