Even with a pandemic, scammer still has no forgiveness. This is a reminder of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) regarding the spread of text messages that offer fake employment opportunities abroad.
In an advisory, POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia said scammers might not be just offering jobs abroad. Instead, some are phishing, smashing, or the theft of personal information or identity theft.
“In smishing, text messages promising employment and high salaries are sent to trick users into clicking on suspicious links. These links then redirect users to fraudulent sites when clicked. These sites may steal users’ personal data, introduce mobile malware, and even commit fraud,” said Olalia.
POEA said that if the email or text job offer is suspicious, immediately block the sender and report to POEA, telecommunications provider, National Privacy Commission (NPC) or National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
Overseas job applicants are also warned to keep their contact information and not to give a copy of their government-issued identification cards and documents to people they do not know.
Do not give money or fees to anyone without first knowing information about their licensed recruitment agencies, such as the name of the agency and the name of their authorized representative.
POEA warns against job offer text scam
Always remember that if their recruitment agency is POEA accredited, it should be listed on the POEA website.
For those looking for work abroad, POEA advises using the POEA Verification System on the POEA website (www.poea.gov.ph) or emailing the POEA Information Center at connect@poea.gov.ph to confirm overseas employment offers.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) supported the formation of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
According to the DFA, having its own department for Filipino migrant workers reflects the country’s commitment to have a globally-recognized migration management system.
In a virtual presser, DFA Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said the legislation that created the DMW is the first and is in line with the recommendation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM).
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