POEA: Beware of work offered via Net, fake jobs in Macau

To avoid illegal recruiters, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reminds applicants to be extra cautious of fake overseas jobs that are offered though the Internet. According to the POEA administrator, Jennifer Manalili, the reports she received said that these scammers lure applicants by pretending to represent big companies abroad. They also post non-existent job vacancies in legal job sites and send employment contracts through email. One example is Emirate Recruitment Inc. that claims to be based in the United Kingdom and represent the International Airline of United Arab Emirates (the Emirates). They post bogus job vacancies at www.naukri.com, an online jobsite based in the Gulf Region and India. The vice president for Recruitment of the Emirates Airline, Rick Helliwel, said through the Industrial Personnel And Management Services, Inc. (IPAMS), its official agent in the Philippines that they are not in any way connected with Emirate Recruitment Inc. To be safe, Manalili advise applicants to first check with POEA the legitimacy of a job offer before sending money to a recruiter. Fake Jobs in Macau A number of unsuspecting Filipino workers have been victimized by illegal recruiters that offer fake jobs in Macau, prompting Senate President Manuel Villar to issue a warning to hopeful OFWs. Villar said, “This week, I have received reports that batches of our countrymen have arrived in Macau as tourists, hopeful of finding employment promised by their recruiters who disappeared. This must be stopped." The Senate President informed that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had received at least 10 complaints against recruiters in Manila that allegedly promise employment in Macau but sends jobseekers in Macau as tourists. The complainants were Filipino workers who paid large amount of money to be able to enter Macau but found that there no jobs available for them there. According to Villar, most illegal recruiters operate by asking their potential victims to pay high amount of placement fees but only gives them a tourist visa. Upon reaching the country of destination, recruiters then demand another payment to promise non-existent jobs. The cheap airfare from the Philippines to Macau has made it easier and faster for illegal recruiters to conduct their modus operandi. In lieu with this, the Philippine Embassy in Macau has been advised by Villar to provide help to illegally recruited Filipinos in Macau. Assistance includes repatriation and legal services. Filipinos who want to work abroad are advised to always verify the job order, employer and the licenses of recruitment agencies with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Philippine officials warned that Macau presently has a “localization program" that prioritizes local residents for employment. Foreign workers without the proper documents in Macau faces the risk of being fined up to to 20,000 Macau patacas or more than Php 100,000 and forbidden to work there for two years. - OFW Guide