As with all things on the internet, you need to be careful when looking for overseas job opportunities online.
Exercising caution is always advisable particularly because the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has issued warnings against fake United Kingdom job offers.
According to POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, many of these fraudulent jobs are being offered through unsolicited email and social media. The messages and posts often come from people pretending to be representatives of UK-based companies. If you are not vigilant, then you may easily fall victim.
The fact of the matter, of course, is that these people are based in other countries but use forwarding addresses and mobile phone numbers in the UK.
Cacdac further mentioned that there were reported incidents when Filipino applicants, who have been lured to accepting fake jobs, have received scanned letters of appointment and employment contracts, promising amazing compensation and benefits. After accepting the “job,” the applicants will be asked to contact fake UK travel agencies or immigration consultants so the application process for work permits, visas and other travel requirements will be arranged. Of course, they will then require the applicant to send money via Western Union for processing fee, etc.
Cacdac gave some pointers about how to spot whether a UK job offer is real or not:
1. Check with POEA to verify whether an employer has approved job offers.
2. Ask prospective UK employers to submit their employment documents to the POLO Office, Philippine Embassy in London for confirmation and authentication.
3. Log online and check www.companieshouse.goc.uk. The website has a comprehensive list of companies in the UK.
4. Real UK companies will not give a mobile number as their contact number.
5. Most companies will not use a Hotmail, YahooMail or Gmail as their company email address.
6. Government positions are not offered via unsolicited emails. Usually, vacancies are posted on www.careers-civilservice.gov.uk.
Take note of these important reminders and you’ll probably be able to spare yourself from the hassle of being fooled by fraudulent individuals.