‘Maraming nag-o-open ng pekeng account. Mag-search ka ng POLO, at andun ang daming account na hindi naman opisyal na POLO.
DUBAI: With the onset of fake news came fake social media accounts used to victimize unsuspecting Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
This, according to officials who urged OFWs to be more cautious when searching the social media for information about services provided for by the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO), saying a lot of fake accounts abound.
Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, has himself issued a similar warning in his official OWWA Facebook page, stressing that any updates about OFW-related services and programs should be verified with the government agency thru its hotline, FB page and web site.
Cacdac’s move came in light of recent proliferation of fake text messages from unscrupulous people introducing themselves as OWWA employees and asking for processing fees.
“Mag-ingat sa mga kumakalat na text scams,” Cacdac said. (Be careful about fake text scams).
He advised OFWs to check their information with the OWWA website (www.owwa.gov.ph), OWWA official numbers, (0917) 898-6992/ (+632) 551-1560/ (+632) 551-6641, and OWWA Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/OWWAofficial/).
In the UAE, Labor Attaché Ophelia Almenario asked OFWs to make it a point to attend the regular Post-Arrival Orientation Seminar (PAOS) held every third Friday of the month from 10am to 2pm at the embassy where all OWWA and other government programs as well as services are discussed at length, including SSS ang Pag-Ibig.
The consulate general also holds PAOS but on every last Friday of the month from 1pm to 5pm. Almenario said some 20 OFWs attend their PAOS sessions, adding that they also hold special ones on request of employers. In Dubai, over 100 OFWs attend the PAOS, officials said.
Attending PAOS, Almenario said, will help a lot in keeping OFWs in the loop as regards the government services and how to avail of them, thereby keeping themselves safe from preying scammers.
“Maraming nag-o-open ng pekeng account,” said Almenario. “Mag-search ka ng POLO, at andun ang daming account na hindi naman opisyal na POLO,” she added. (A lot of people are opening fake accounts. You search POLO online and there you’ll see so many, but none are official ones).
Almenario said the best way to stir clear of these sham accounts is by calling embassy’s or the consulate general’s designated hotlines aside from the official numbers, website and Facebook account issued by Cacdac.
