Bulgaria's 'Shepherd Scammer' Seized in Spain

The would-be shepherds never saw their Australian dream fulfilled. File photo by Jason Hollinger

A Bulgarian who cheated would-be shepherds into paying for non-existent jobs in Australia has been arrested in Spain, local media reported.

Dimitar Dimitrov P was arrested in the coastal town of Torrevieja, The Local, a Spanish English-language news provider, reported, citing a statement by the Spanish police.

The 40-year-old was the subject of an international arrest warrant for his role in scamming Bulgarian jobseekers hoping to find work in Australia as shepherds.

In February 2000, he posted a job ad in the Bulgarian press advertising the desirable positions.

Candidates were asked to fill out a form supposedly created by an Australian Government agency acting as an intermediary between the candidates and farmers.

The would-be shepherds then had to send in their details — and a small fee.

There was just one catch: the jobs didn't exist, and neither did the Australian Government agency.

Some 221 fell victims to the scam, Spanish police said in their statement.