Poea Warns Jobseekers Of A Recurring Job Scam In Social Media Using Hotel Name

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz reiterated the warning issued by the#Philippine Overseas Employment Administration that cautions job applicants not to be duped by a recurring employment scam using the name of a hotel company. 

“We were informed that in addition to the previous modus operandi of these unscrupulous scammers, which include sending e-mails to unsuspecting job seekers, they are now prowling for victims in social media,” said Baldoz in a news release.

“I advise our jobseekers to be extra cautious, and apply only at recruitment agencies licensed by opea and deal with licensed agencies with legal job orders,” he added.

POEA Administrator Hans Cacdac said that in a Facebook post, the scammer alleged that the management of Marriott Hotel Canada needs new workers for diverse positions such as stewards, nurses, technicians, fashion designers, comedians and entertainers, models, actors, dancers, medical doctor, artisans, mechanics, waiter, waitress, and other hotel job category.

Cacdac said a new email doing the rounds is offering jobs with Marriott Hotel in the United Kingdom. The POEA administrator said scammers use legitimate company names, such as Marriott, to make false offers of employment but telltale signs of it being a scam can be easily detected. Usually, job scammers use e-mail and social media to advertise fake job openings. Big companies such as Marriott Hotels have a dedicated job vacancy page and do not use e-mail and Facebook to recruit employees.

Scammers request applicants to send application, resume, and other documents to a fraudulent e-mail address. Marriott Hotel do not use free e-mail service providers such as yahoo.com, gmail.com,hotmail.com, live.com, etc. Swindlers ask victims to transfer money directly to a bank account or through a money remittance company as payment for processing, immigration and visa fees. Legitimate companies do not require payment of fees in order to be considered for employment.

Cacdac said another revealing sign that an employment ad is a scam is the glaring spelling and grammatical mistakes. The POEA lists down the following precautionary measures on how to avoid illegal recruitment: 

1. Do not apply at recruitment agencies not licensed by POEA.

2. Do not deal with licensed agencies without job orders.

3. Do not deal with any person who is not an authorized representative of a licensed agency.

4. Do not transact business outside the registered address of the agency. If recruitment is conducted in the province, check if the agency has a provincial recruitment authority.

5. Do not pay more than the allowed placement fee. It should be equivalent to one-month salary, exclusive of documentation and processing costs.

6. Do not pay any placement fee unless you have a valid employment contract and an official receipt.

7. Do not be enticed by ads or brochures requiring you to reply to a Post Office (P.O.) Box, and to enclose payment for processing of papers.

8. Do not deal with training centers and travel agencies, which promise overseas employment.

9. Do not accept a tourist visa.

10. Do not deal with fixers.

For more information on avoiding illegal recruitment, please visit: http://www.poea.gov.ph/air/howtoavoid.htm.

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