Do you know how many OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) are there around the world? According to the Population Reference Bureau, around 11% of the Philippine population or roughly 11 million Filipinos are working as OFWs. This number keeps on increasing as more and more Filipinos seek greener pastures outside of the country.
But there are several Filipinos who apply for work abroad who also end up as victims of fake recruitment agencies. Everyday, hundreds — probably even thousands — are duped by false promises of overseas employment.
How can you check if an agency offering a job abroad is legal or licensed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA)?
One simple way to do this is to check the POEA list of Philippine recruitment agencies.
Take note of two things in the list: (1) the Status of the employment agency and (2) the License Validity.
With regard to Status, be wary of agencies whose current standing with the POEA are Delisted, Cancelled, Preventive Suspension, or Forever Banned. Several clients in the past probably encountered problems with them and it would be risky if you transact with them now.
Although those with Good Standing status are reputable at present, there is no reason to fully trust these companies from keeping this status forever. That’s why it pays to be vigilant and cautious when dealing with employment agencies. Inquiring with the POEA about the latest status of your employment agency and whether there are pending cases against them can help you identify problems before they crop up.
The License Validity tells you the duration of a company’s license registration with the POEA. Don’t deal with those with expired licenses because, technically, they are not allowed to operate legally. If you’re transacting with an agency with an expiring license, inquire if they are already renewing it. Double-check this with the POEA.
Here are a few more tips how not to become a victim of illegal recruiters.
1. Do not deal with any person who is not an authorized representative of a licensed agency.
2. Do not transact business outside the registered address of the agency. If recruitment is conducted in the province, check if the agency has a provincial recruitment authority.
3. Do not pay more than the allowed placement fee. It should be equivalent to one month salary, exclusive of documentation and processing costs.
4. Do not pay any placement fee unless you have a valid employment contract and an official receipt.
5. Do not deal with training centers and travel agencies, which promise overseas employment.
6. Do not accept a tourist visa.
7. Do not deal with fixers.
8. Do not be enticed by ads or brochures requiring you to reply to a Post Office (P.O.) Box, and to enclose payment for processing of papers.
With the tips above, we hope you won’t become the next victim of illegal recruiters.
See also: POEA warns UK job applicants vs. new internet scam
How to check fake or illegal recruitment agencies
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ok po b ang lucky internatoinal mngt resvices sa waitress in ras’al khayma “bin majid hotel
kung cno man gumawa ng poea site o cno mang responsable don, in took me several searches sa pages nila para lang hnaping yung link ng list ng mga agency, tsk tsk tsk, dba npakahlaga non at para san b 2ng site db para mginform..
pakireview nga design nyan gngwa nu ba tlga yung dapat nung mgawa..
hindi ata binabantayan ung site na yan dapat maghire sila ng pweding magmaintain
ok po b ang steadfast agency sa waiter sa singapore kz po humihingi na po cla ng down sa placement fee dpa me nkkapirma ng kontrata at ala p me visa man lng?????paano po un??????
marvelon same tau ng situation.. pwd mo ko contact sa ym mark_techno19@yahoo.com
para update kita kung sbhin skin at update mko kung ano sbhin sau.60k ang placement.hanapan lng daw ako employer tpos dpt 1week lng meron na ang 60k..
sir, same hir… pkinform din po aq… thanks..
aq rin hinihingn na 60k steadfast tpos 3mos pa mgaantay..
mga sir i applied there before and tinawagan din ako same situation sa inyo pero the first thing that i did i went to my uncle in poea and i found out there is no legal job order for that said job oppurtunity in singapore and secondary there is no such thing na wala man lng interview or screening na ginawa and third pagaralan nyo e bakit parang continous hiring so i therefore conclude na yung amount na makokolekta sa nxt victim e yun ang ibabayad sa previous na mgdedemanda the best thing kung nagbayad na kayo e tpos di pa rin pinapaalis at expire na medical e hanapin nyo yung job order pag wala e dumiretso nakayo sa imbestigador or sa bitag or media para mabawi nyo pera nyo ok cheeeerrs!!!!
guyz.. same situation here.. hinihingan din ako 60k downpayment.. and in a matter of 5 days preparation lng.. kaya ang labo dba.. pano kaya malalman kung ok na ung application mo.. eh wala man lng interview ng employer..
marvelon, marco, bryan,louie and caloy.. ano ba ginawa nyo dun sa hinihingi sa inyo ng steadfast? nagbigay ba kau ng pera? pls contact me nmn.. kahit sa fb.. vannapatriciacruz@yahoo.com ill wait for your reply guys.. thanks
May papacheck rin po akong agency ung New Workers Link Assistant Consutancy…kung cno po nakakalam na hindi ito illegal recruitment agency paki reply lang po!. wala pa nmng hinihinging pera sa ngayon…pero may naririnig akong tsismis…pakikumperma lang po kung cno may nakakalam../tnx po!
licenced naman po un agency ung mi amore kaya lang tour visa daw ang ibibigay muna para lang madali kmi mkaalis then dun na daw gagawing working visa.. ok ba yun….
what an informative post. proper information is a weapon against illegal recruiters and swindlers.
.-= OFW Resources´s latest blog ..Practical Tips In Passport Application =-.
A lot of tanks for info about illegal recruitment agencies. Actually I have no idea how to check fake it . Thanks dude. 🙂
I have a friend from Leyte who has been offered to work in Israel as a caregiver, but as she cannot afford the 300k pesos fee, they have told her she can pay it back while she is working.
Although i’m sure IT could be legit, it just sounds damn to dodgy for my liking. Noone would be willing to be 300k pesos shorter unless there wasn’t as way to recoup their losses, IE, GRO work .
Please people, what do you think. Am i just being an over paranoid Foreigner who’s looking out for his Filipino friend?
may consultancy rin na company sabi nla u can work and migrate at new zealand..pero u will study their..at the same time hava a part time job..student visa ang ga2mitin..parang ang pinka rason is to study deir..pero habang ngstu2dy ka dun pwede ka mgpartime hangang gmraduate ka at mkhnap ka ng stable na job..anu kauy sa tingin niu un??
tnx sa info
Paano ung ng nag ofer sa akin na kunin niya ako sa London uk kc taga London siya sabi niya ako daw magbayad sa visa ko at siya ang magbayad sa ticket ko,,, my binigay siyang email ng agent daw na mag process daw sa papers ko na nag wowork daw sa fcm travel solution in London,,ayukong maniwala kc bka kabilang silang ilegal at ayokong mgbayad ng 450 pounds daw pra sa process ng visa ko,,
Base sa sinabi mo scam na yan mayron din akong nareceive na job offer same setup dinulog ko sa POEA sabi nila mas safe kng idaan sa agency and valid na job order
bakit di ko makita sa internet at di ko ma chack kung yung agency ko eh legal?
http://www.poea.gov.ph/cgi-bin/aglist.asp?mode=all
d q dn po ma check kung yung agency na papasukan nmin legal?
Just go here to check http://www.poea.gov.ph/cgi-bin/aglist.asp?mode=all
ptulong nman po…pano ko po mccheck s internet kng naayos n po ng agency nmin ung dati nmin kaso???ndi ko po kc mkita at ndi ko rn po alam san iccheck???
hi Ms. Selina… just wanna ask on what to do… when i checked the agency’s account it was stated there that they are still licensed… however, when i confirmed it in POEA’s page it said…
POEA: “0 RESULT FOUND”
does this mean that the said agency is no longer under POEA’s licensed?
please help me…
i will be waiting for your response in your most convenient time… thank you.
May inaaplyan po akong agency direct hiring daw sila under poea local agency po sya. Prang sila daw po ung visa assistance. How will i find out kung legit po ito?
Good day. Ask ko lng po if pano mamalalamn kung ung isang local recruitment agency is legit. May inaaplyan po ako sabi nila direct hiring daw po sila under poea. Parang visa assistance daw po sila. My record po ba sa poea ang mga ganitong local agency for us to know kung my transaction nga ang mga ito sa poea? Salamat po and godbless
Good day. Ask ko lng po if pano mamalalamn kung ung isang local recruitment agency is legit. May inaaplyan po ako sabi nila direct hiring daw po sila under poea. Parang visa assistance daw po sila. My record po ba sa poea ang mga ganitong local agency for us to know kung my transaction nga ang mga ito sa poea? Salamat po and godbless
Good day. Ask ko lng po if pano mamalalamn kung ung isang local recruitment agency is legit. May inaaplyan po ako sabi nila direct hiring daw po sila under poea. Parang visa assistance daw po sila. My record po ba sa poea ang mga ganitong local agency for us to know kung my transaction nga ang mga ito sa poea? Sa US daw po ang hiring nila
Legit po ba ang chartreuse prime recruitment?