Jobseekers warned vs. online scams promising quick jobs abroad

The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) has warned jobseekers against social media accounts promising quick jobs overseas, lest they fall victims to scams or illegal recruitment.

In a report on GMA News TV's “Balitanghali” on Tuesday, the POEA advised jobseekers to be aware of “red flags” when encountering such social media accounts.

“Mabilis na pag-alis, hindi kailangan ng experience, dapat ito yung mga red flags na ating titingnan,” said lawyer Rosemarie Duquez, head of POEA's anti-illegal recruitment branch, in the report.

"Balitanghali" showed a Facebook account whose posts promised jobs in Canada and Australia for nurses and caregivers.

In one of the posts, jobseekers were promised employment even without experience or a PRC (Professional Regulation Commission) license. The post also said there is no need for placement or processing fees as well as salary deductions.

Before it was deleted, the account had 14,000 likes, the television report said. The company behind the account could only be contacted through email and was not found under POEA's accredited agencies.

Duquez said all potential OFWs need to go through a stringent process for deployment, in order to protect them against possible injustices abroad.

"Kung ikaw ay lumabas ng bansa na undocumented ka at merong hindi magandang nangyari sa 'yo, mahihirapan tayong mag-trace or mapauwi ka kasi wala tayong hahabulin na ahensya," she said.

She advised Filipinos to search for the name of their recruitment agency, nature of their potential job abroad, and name of the employer on the POEA website to check on their legality.

Jobseekers directly dealing with foreign companies still need to process their papers with POEA to get job permits, the report said. Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Dozens injured after train derails in Netherlands: emergency services --- Agence France-Presse

Malaysia scraps mandatory death penalty Deutsche Welle -- Deutsche Welle