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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more