"Proved I was myself." Belarusian Woman Ordered Supplements from USA — and Found Out She Owed the Polish State Over 5 Million Dollars

At the beginning of summer, Tatsiana returned from Warsaw to Szczecin, where she currently lives, and found a notification in her mailbox that a registered letter was waiting for her. However, her name was written inaccurately — Tatsiana Piatrouskaya — as in her maiden name. After marriage, the woman took a double surname, adding Skaptsova. However, such an inaccuracy didn't surprise her: friends often omit that part.

Tatsiana went to the post office, received the letter, and opened it right there in the branch. She started reading — and felt unwell. The Tax and Customs Administration informed that she, Tatsiana Piatrouskaya, was on the Republic of Poland's sanctions list for an act of aggression against Ukraine. And owed Poland 20 million zlotys.

The letter was official. The idea that it was some fraudsters had to be discarded.

"The System Merged Us into One Person"

The Belarusian woman started to investigate. Reading, she realized that the inaccuracy in the surname was not the only one. The woman mentioned in the letter was seven years older than Tatsiana.

It became clear: there was another Tatsiana Piatrouskaya from Belarus. She was guilty of transporting migrants who illegally crossed the border between Belarus and Poland. And was indeed placed on a special list.

How could she have been confused with her namesake? Everything turned out to be incredibly simple: shortly before these events, the Most interviewee ordered calming dietary supplements from the USA — to sleep better. But for some reason, the sender shortened the surname, removing Skaptsova. Such products are automatically declared. And in the system, it turned out that the goods arrived for Tatsiana Piatrouskaya — from that very sanctions list.

"The system merged us into one person," explains Tatsiana.

The dietary supplements were seized, and a letter was sent to the buyer at the address indicated on the parcel.

"If I had known that because of these supplements I wouldn't sleep at all, then, of course, I wouldn't have ordered them," jokes the interviewee.

"With Some Diva-Consuela-Olivia, This Wouldn't Have Happened"

The Belarusian woman called the department that sent her the letter. She explained the situation. They agreed, but said that the Belarusian woman had to prove to the body that she was not the person the letter concerned.

First, Tatsiana sent the tax authority her residence card and marriage certificate, then a scan of her foreign travel document and even a screenshot of the account through which she ordered the dietary supplements were required.

"To open the case, I think five seconds were enough, but to verify and close everything — it took two months. All this time I was in contact and proving that I was myself," says Tatsiana.

On August 4, the Belarusian woman finally received a letter stating that the case was closed. The state body admitted that the claim against her was erroneous.

"If you want to name your child a rare name, then do it," Tatsiana now advises. "Because with some Diva-Consuela-Olivia, this wouldn't have happened."

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