‘Be wary of fake POEA websites’

POEA

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be wary of “fake” Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) websites.”

Labor Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, acting POEA chief, said OFWs and those who plan to work abroad should first verify the legitimacy of job vacancies being peddled on the Internet, especially after the proliferation of fake POEA pages in the social media, particularly on Facebook.

Olalia said the POEA received reports that “unscrupulous individuals and groups” were illegally using the name and logo of POEA to advertise job vacancies in countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.

He said some of the “illegitimate and fake POEA Facebook pages” included Donald HRserv, POEA Jobs Online, OFW POEA Jobs Abroad, POEA Jobs Abroad, POEA Job Hiring USA, POEA Job Hiring Australia, POEA Job Hiring UK, POEA Job Agency Hiring, POEA Trabaho Abroad Hiring, POEA Jobs in Dubai, Work Abroad-POEA Licensed Company, and POEA Accredited Licensed Agency.

“These job vacancies advertised on social media are not verified nor approved by the POEA,” he said.

Olalia said the public can either validate the legitimacy of the job vacancies or the recruitment agencies through the official website of POEA at www.poea.gov.ph/. He also clarified that the only official POEA Facebook accounts of the POEA are www.facebook.com/mypoea and www.facebook.com/poea.official.

“These pages have check marks which are authenticated by Facebook,” Olalia said.

“For inquiries, concerns, and to verify legitimate job vacancies and recruitment agencies, the public may call the POEA hotline numbers at 7221144 and 7221155,” he added.