Over 100 jobseekers lose up to P215k to illegal recruiter

An alleged illegal recruiter milked P130,000 to P215,000 in processing fees from 130 men and women from Manila, Ilocos, Abra, and Bicol in a job scam promising work abroad.

The victims were recruited through Facebook and promised employment in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Korea after they paid the processing fees, according to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), which discovered the scam.

The CFO said after paying the fee, the victims were instructed to meet with a fixer to arrange their attendance in the required Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) at the CFO's main office in Manila on March 27.

But upon checking, CFO officials said the receipts for payments presented by the victims were not registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. The inspection revealed that the men and women were victims of an illegal recruitment operation.

"Upon arrival of the numerous victims, CFO officers interviewed them and offered clarification on the government’s process of deploying overseas Filipino workers, as well as assisted them in filing their complaints against their alleged perpetrator," the CFO said in a statement.

Some of the victims said they already worked for three days at a canning factory in Cavite as training for their deployment.

The CFO reminded jobseekers to verify the license and job orders of employment agencies with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) before paying fees or signing contracts.

It also encouraged Filipinos to report incidences of human trafficking acts such as illegal recruitment, mail-order bride scheme, and child trafficking to decrease the prevalence of such illegal activities through the 1343 Actionline against Human Trafficking online or through the number 1343. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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