THE absence of a license to recruit from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) should be considered the number one sign that illegal recruitment activity is being conducted.
This was the reminder of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, who said aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) must be vigilant against illegal recruitment red flags.
“Job-seeking Filipinos should stay alert against face-to-face and online tactics used by illegal recruiters and syndicates,” Cacdac said.
“We have been warning against illegal recruitment for a long time. Our warning is simple: if it does not go through the DMW, that is the number one red flag,” he added.
Those being recruited via social media, Cacdac said, must be extra vigilant, as they are more likely dealing with illegal recruiters.
“If the person you are talking to is all Telegram, Facebook, or social media, it is clearly a scam,” Cacdac said.
Worse, he said, jobs offered through social media are highly likely linked to cybercrime activities.
“They are often linked to cyberfraud schemes that have spread across Southeast Asia,” Cacdac said.
The Department issued the warning following the repatriation of 190 distressed OFWs from Cambodia.
Most of the repatriates, according to the DMW, were recruited through online job offers but ended up working in scam hubs under abusive and exploitative conditions. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)