Philippines: 70k fake job postings taken down

Manila: The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has shut down more than 70,000 illegal job postings on Facebook and TikTok.

The crackdown seeks to protect thousands of Filipinos from falling prey to fake job offers and fraudulent overseas employment schemes. 

Fake jobs

The fake job ads often lure applicants into paying large sums for nonexistent jobs or exploit them under slave-like conditions abroad.

In total, 71,653 suspicious accounts and job postings were taken down — 50,220 from Facebook and 21,433 from TikTok, according to the DMW.

Combating online scams

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said: “As we find them, we take them down. Every illegal recruitment post we see online, we immediately report and coordinate with Facebook and TikTok for the deactivation of those accounts.”

Impersonators

The scammers often impersonate legitimate recruitment agencies by duplicating the official pages of DMW-licensed firms to deceive applicants, Cacdac told the Philippine News Ageny (PNA).

Facebook has agreed to take down all these copycat sites, Cacdac said.

The DMW advised Filipino job seekers to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of recruitment agencies through the department’s website to avoid falling victim to these schemes.

The DMW’s Migrant Workers Protection Bureau collaborates with other government agencies, local authorities, and social organisations to empower OFWs and strengthen the fight against illegal recruitment. 

Crypto scammers

The department warned of enticing job offers online, particularly those for call centre roles in Thailand, Singapore, or Vietnam. These often lead to victims being trafficked to Cambodia, Myanmar, or Laos, where they are coerced into working for cryptocurrency scam operations.

Victims are typically instructed to travel as tourists, paying placement fees of up to Php200,000 (about $3,700). 

One case involved a man intercepted at Ninoy Aquino International Airport en route to Vietnam.

He disclosed that recruiters had promised him a BPO job in Cambodia after his arrival in Vietnam.