Dubious job opportunities via text message.
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Monday warned Filipinos seeking job opportunities abroad to be wary of job offer scams received through text and online platforms.
POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia said people should not believe text messages with attached links that offer overseas or local jobs — a scam that has been rampant since 2021.
“Ang advice ko lamang sa ating mga kababayan na nakatanggap ng ganitong scam texts, lalo na po sa mga nagsasabing nakatanggap kayo ng job offer sa POEA, ‘wag ninyo pong paniniwalaan ‘yun at ‘wag ninyo pong bubuksan,” he said in a public briefing
(My advice to our fellow citizens if they received scam texts, especially those who said they received job offers from POEA, is do not believe it, and do not open it.)
Filipinos should not open the links attached to the messages because it can cause more problems and privacy issues, Olalia stressed.
Now that the POEA website is currently being transferred under the Department of Migrant Workers’ domain, Olalia said that applicants can still use the “Balik-Manggagawa” online services to process their applications, while their information and communications technology department fixes other service platforms.
“Ito [online services] po ang isa sa mga pinaka-importante [na serbisyo] dahil marami pong mga OFWs [Overseas Filipino Workers] ang nagdedepende ng kanila OEC [Overseas Employment Certificate], online,” he said.
(Online services are one of the most important services because many of our Overseas Filipino Workers depend on the internet for their Overseas Employment Certificate.)
Olalia said applicants are free to contact the POEA hotline to avoid job offer scams and other illegal recruitment. — Christine Annie Asistio, trainee