BI: Don’t buy fake OECs from social media pages

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned Filipinos aspiring to work abroad not to buy Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC) from social media platforms, as these are fake.

In a statement on Wednesday, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco cited the arrest of a Filipina who presented a counterfeit OEC she bought from WhatsApp before her departure for the United Arab Emirates.

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“BI officers at Clark International Airport (CIA) intercepted last May 24 a 49-year-old female victim who attempted to depart on board an Emirates Airlines flight for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after presenting a counterfeit Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC),” the statement read.

The Filipina, tagged by the alias “Valerie,” was a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who claimed she was being redeployed to the United Arab Emirates.

She bought the fake OEC for P7,200, the BI said.

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Another victim, alias “Lovely,” was also intercepted by immigration officers after she attempted to depart for Kuwait via a Gulf Air flight.

“The primary inspection officer observed several discrepancies in her documents and referred her for secondary inspection. Verifications exposed that she submitted a counterfeit employment certificate. She allegedly obtained the employment certificate from a Facebook account called ‘OEC Appointment’ for a fee of Php 500.00,” said BI.

According to Tansingco, the bureau has a data-sharing agreement with the Department of Migrant Workers that allows them to instantly check if the documents presented by OFWs are legitimate.

Legitimate OECs are only issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA.