Philippines issues warning on cruise ship job scam targeting Filipinos who want to work abroad

Filipino jobseekers have been warned against a scam targeting applicants seeking employment opportunities abroad.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said it has uncovered a recurrence of a modus by fraudsters who are out to get money from people looking to work for a cruise ship.

The labour authority said illegal recruiters are sending out e-mails to potential candidates, enticing them with attractive job offers at major shipping companies such as Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean or Disney Cruise.

Applicants are promised that they are guaranteed to get a job, provided they pay a placement fee upfront.

“When the victim pays, the scammer – and the supposed job – simply disappear,” the POEA said in a statement.

Getting a job on a cruise ship is popular among applicants from the Philippines. Thousands of Filipinos working overseas are currently employed at international passenger vessels, as well as in cargo and other shipping lines.

Many work as part of the crew, as well as front office, accommodation and food and beverage teams.

From January to September 2017, more than 1.2 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were deployed. Most of the overseas workers are land-based, while more than 200,000 of them are sea-based workers.

People looking for employment in a cruise ship are advised that real recruiters don’t collect any fees, including recruitment and placement charges.

How to spot a cruise ship job scam?

Jobs are advertised on free websites and social



media.

Scammers would not pay advertisement for jobs that do not exist.

Emails are sent from free email accounts such as Yahoo and Gmail.

The correspondence is in poor English and very informal.

Scammers operate from countries such as Malaysia, Ghana, Nigeria, etc.

The job offers are usually very generous (high salaries, short working hours, long paid holidays).

There are no thorough interviews with candidates.

The job offer is for free, but asks payment for visa, training, or lawyer fee.

Payment is made through MoneyGram or Western Union.

Abu Dhabi Police warn about fake recruitment sites

People applying for jobs from abroad asked to be wary of online firms demanding fees or personal information

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Police have warned jobseekers abroad from falling for fake online recruitment companies and their attempts to pass off as established firms to scam unsuspecting applicants.

Brigadier Saeed Mohammad Al Kaabi, Director of Security Information in the Directorate Affairs section, urged jobseekers to exercise caution when dealing with recruitment websites so that their anxiousness to land a job would not be exploited by dubious agents demanding unjustified fees. Clandestine firms often lured people with fake job offers and fantastic salaries to carry out fraudulent activities, he warned.

Al Kaabi pointed out that legitimate recruitment companies do not ask for fees or any personal or private information from job applicants.

He added that scammers are always looking for new ways to con people and stressed that Abu Dhabi Police