Fake Dubai jobs scam: Two arrested in Philippines after workers lose ₱1.15m

Dubai: Philippine authorities have arrested two women accused of illegally recruiting workers for non-existent jobs in Dubai, after an investigation found that at least 18 applicants had collectively paid ₱1.15 million (around Dh68,655) in processing fees for fake overseas employment.

The arrests have been made on July 24 during a joint operation by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Anti-Transnational Crime Unit and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in Makati City, Philippines.

According to the CIDG, the suspects have been caught accepting application documents and collecting processing fees from aspiring overseas workers despite having no licence or authority from the DMW to recruit or deploy Filipino workers abroad.

Investigators have noted that the suspects allegedly recruited applicants for jobs in Dubai as yacht cleaners, yacht stewards, and housekeepers, promising monthly salaries ranging from ₱45,000 to ₱75,000.

To secure the jobs, applicants have been allegedly asked to pay processing fees ranging from ₱19,000 to ₱100,000.

Believing the offers were genuine, the 18 applicants have collectively paid ₱1.15 million in the hope of securing employment in the UAE.

The alleged scheme has been uncovered after authorities verified the job offers with the Migrant Workers Office in Dubai.

The verification has found that there were no approved job orders or employment opportunities for the positions being advertised. Authorities have also confirmed that the suspects were neither licensed nor authorised by the DMW to recruit or deploy overseas workers, making the recruitment activities illegal.

During the operation, authorities have confiscated 31 sets of documents belonging to applicants for overseas employment.

The two suspects have been facing complaints for violating the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, as amended, in relation to estafa, or fraud, under the Revised Penal Code.

CIDG director police major general Robert Morico II has stressed that the country's migrant workers law seeks to strengthen the protection and welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), their families, and Filipinos in distress abroad.

“The state at all times, uphold the dignity of its citizens whether in country or overseas, in general, and Filipino migrant workers, in particular,” said Morico in a statement.

Moreover, he has commended police colonel Felix Gervacio Jr., chief of the CIDG Anti-Transnational Crime Unit, for leading the operation, saying the arrests disrupted the alleged recruitment scheme and prevented more job seekers from losing their hard-earned money to fake overseas employment offers.

Meanwhile, the CIDG and the DMW have urged aspiring OFWs to verify all job offers and recruitment agencies before paying any fees or submitting documents.

Authorities have advised applicants to check agency licences and approved job orders through the DMW's official channels to avoid falling victim to illegal recruitment and fraudulent overseas employment schemes.