Overseas Filipinos in Dubai have been warned to avoid unscrupulous individuals on social media that offer jobs here in the UAE.
The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Dubai and the Northern Emirates (POLO Dubai), highlighted that the modus operandi of illegal recruiters use the name of POLO Dubai, legitimate businesses in the UAE and licensed recruitment agencies in the Philippines. Authorities stated that these fake “employment opportunities” and job order/manpower requests are often advertised in Facebook and other social media platforms, with key messages such as “100% no offload”, “wala nang tanong sa immigration”, and “high salary in labor contract” to name a few.
In a statement to The Filipino Times, POLO Dubai advises Filipinos to verify with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) the legitimacy of these social media posts tagged with Overseas Filipino Organizations.
“POLO Dubai warns jobseekers that most of the Facebook Pages offering job orders and manpower requests are operated by scammers or enterprising individuals and links to other job portals are illegal. Owners of these Facebook Accounts post job opportunities that are fake or unverified advertisements were not approved by the POEA,” read the statement.
Individuals who intend to work abroad are advised to use the POEA Verification System at the POEA website (www.poea.gov.ph) or email the POEA Information Center at [email protected] to confirm overseas employment offers.
How do I report illegal recruiters?
POLO Dubai encourages the public to immediately report any suspicious recruitment activities to the Operations and Surveillance Division via email at [email protected].
OFWs may also contact POLO Dubai Hotline: +971 506526626 or send an email to [email protected] or at [email protected]
Harsh penalties
In a related development, UAE’s official news agency WAM reported that the country’s Public Prosecution took to social media to highlight the potential penalties for spreading misinformation, in accordance with Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 aimed at combatting the spread of rumors and fake news.
The authority pointed out that according to Article 52 of the UAE law, anyone who uses the internet to publish, circulate or spread false news, rumors or misleading information, contrary to the news published by official sources, could be punished by imprisonment for at least one year and fined AED 100,000.
In case the publishing of false news or rumors agitates public opinion against state authorities or occurs during times of pandemic, crises or disasters, the violator could be imprisoned for at least two years and fined Dhs200,000.
Under the new provision, online users who share inaccurate information or rumours are also part of the crime, not only the publishers. Thus, it is everyone’s responsibility to confirm the authenticity of the information before sharing it or take the risk of being jailed.
In addition, under Article 48, posting misleading ads or engaging in unlicensed trading in cryptocurrencies can land the offender a jail term or fine not less than Dhs20,000 and not exceeding Dhs 500,000 or both penalties.
