Warning on recruitment fees paid through money remittance centers

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) received reports that jobseekers for overseas work have been victimized by online scams using names of licensed recruitment agencies. The scam involves individuals pretending to be staff or officers of licensed recruitment agencies.

Said individuals would send e-mails, texts, or private messages with offers of overseas employment to unsuspecting jobseekers, who would be required to pay through money remittance centers or online payment facilities, amounts ranging from P3,000 to P3,800 as reservation fee for online interviews, seminar, or screening. In exchange for said payment, jobseekers are promised lucrative salaries and immediate deployment to countries such as Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the United Kingdom, Poland and other European Union countries.

The POEA reiterates its warning that unsolicited job offers through e-mail and social media which require payment of fees through money transfer facilities are telltale signs of a scam.

The public is advised to ignore these unsolicited job offers and not to send any kind of recruitment fee or money through Westem Union, Palawan Express, Cebuana Lhullier, LBC Padala, GCash or other money remittance centers or online money transfer. Moreover, transactions relative to overseas job applications should be conducted within the registered business address of a licensed recruitment agency.

The collection of any fee from a worker must always be accompanied by the issuance of an official receipt clearly showing the amount paid and the purpose for which the payment was made.

Overseas jobseekers are advised to always verify job offers through the POEA verification system at the POEA website www.poea.gov.ph or email the POEA Information Center at info@poea.gov.ph.

The POEA also asks the public to immediately report any suspicious activities pertaining to online recruitment scams to the Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch Operations and Surveillance Division at email poea_airb_osd@yahoo.com or contact 8722-1192.