To all those who are looking for job opportunities, please be aware of fraudulent job offers as you might fall victim to fake jobs through text scams and illegal recruitment. According to a report from the Philippine News Agency website on December 3, 2021, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) warns job applicants against text scams offering jobs.
Be very careful in dealing with text messages or job offers through social media, especially if these are not from the POEA or our accredited agencies. There have been bogus job opportunities sent to the public.
POEA Administrator, Bernard Olalia, warned in an advisory against phishing text messages asking victims for their personal information.
Table of Contents
Beware of Smishing: SMS Phishing Messages
Text messages promising employment and generous salaries are used to entice individuals to click on suspicious links is also known as “smishing”.
When people click on these links, they are taken to fraudulent websites. Users’ personal information might be stolen, malware may be injected, and even fraud may be committed by these sites.
Job applicants for overseas employment are advised to avoid clicking on suspicious links, especially if they came from services or numbers they didn’t authorize.
The public is also advised to be cautious of unwanted emails and fraudulent communications, as well as unlawful activities such as identity theft and cyber extortion, by keeping their contact information and other sensitive personal data safe.
About POEA and Illegal Recruiters
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is the government agency responsible for the deployment of Filipino workers abroad. It has a list of accredited recruitment agencies which can be found on their website. Applicants who wish to apply for jobs abroad should always verify first if the job offer is legitimate and from an accredited recruitment agency.
Illegal recruitment is the act of recruiting, hiring, or procuring workers for overseas employment without proper license or authority from the Philippine government. It is punishable by law.
All Filipino job applicants are requested to ignore these messages and avoid transferring any amount of cash to these job scammers.
How to Verify Job Placements Online
Job seekers seeking employment abroad should visit the POEA Verification System at the POEA website (www.poea.gov.ph) or email connect@poea.gov.ph to check for overseas employment opportunities using the POEA Information Center as a reference point.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) also advised the public to contact them immediately if they discover any suspicious employment practices.
How to Report Illegal Recruitment
Olalia also stated to block these numbers and report these smishing text messages to the telecom provider, the National Telecommunications Commission, and the National Privacy Commission.
POEA has set up an online channel on Facebook in order to report Illegal Recruiters in the Philippines. Please visit the page at – https://www.facebook.com/airbranch