The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA once again raised an alert for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) against fake online job offers in Portugal.

POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac once again remind OFWs of such bogus operation, citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon where deceitful groups are offering jobs and work permits or entry visas in exchange of payment via money transfer.

Cacdac said that 'anu unsolocited job offer thorugh e-mail which requires paymnet of fees for testing, language seminar, documentation, and processing of visa is a sure sign of a scam'.

He quoted the case of a Filipino offered with a managerial position in Grupo Salvador Caetano which is a major Portuguese company.  The company said the employment offer was not real and they've received same reports of bogus job offers using its name.  There are also cases where the email recipient is asked to transact with a travel agency which is said to process the documents and visa needed for the job contract.

Cacdac also said that those who are behind these type of scams claim to represent reputable companies in Portugal using information on their websites, replacing the contact information.

According to POEA, payment of fees for Entry Clearance Certificates, International Overseas Employment Certificates (IOEC) and Affidavits of Guarantee Fund required by individuals behind these scams are not enforced by the Portuguese authorities.

Cacdac added that renowned companies from Portugal have their own resource department that demand personal interviews and seldom hire their employees through the internet.

Related articles:

Beware of Illegal Recruitment on the Internet

Avoid Being A Victim of Illegal Recruitment

POEA Gives Guide on How to Avoid Job Scams

How to Avoid Illegal Recruitment