The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) warned Filipino overseas jobseekers to disregard job offers from unscrupulous individuals who take advantage of online dating apps and websites for their illegal recruitment activities.
The POEA said it received reports from individuals who were offered migration and employment in countries such as the United States and Canada via online dating apps and websites.
The scammers used fictitious cyber identity or resorted to catfishing to contact potential victims in dating apps who have common interests or mutual connections.
“The unscrupulous individual would then send fake job contracts and company profiles and refer the unsuspecting victims to overseas visa consultancy firms,” the agency said in a statement..
“After convincing their victims, the scammer would then demand payments to release visa documents, including supposed airport clearances,” it added.
The POEA advises job seekers to be cautious and ignore job offers from dating apps and refrain from paying any amount of money to their supposed “online romantic partners” for overseas employment.
It reminded the public that any job offer which requires early fees through electronic transfer is a solid indication of a scam.
Overseas job seekers are advised to always verify overseas job offers through the POEA Verification System at the POEA website (www.poea.gov.ph) or email the POEA Information Center at [email protected]