MANILA -- The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has advised job seekers to ignore e-mails coming from certain “international companies” saying that they are selected for a job.

In a statement, POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said an e-mail congratulating an applicant for being selected for a specific job he or she did not apply for reeks of a recruitment scam.

“When you post your resume to a job search site, you are opening your personal data to potential employers, and even scammers, so be careful,” Cacdac warned.

He said the e-mails promise employment in hospitals and caregiving establishments in Canada and the United States at almost no cost to the applicants but they have to pay for "medical tests and interview coaching" in the Philippines.

Cacdac cited the case of a certain Fraser Health which "recruits nurses and caregivers" for supposed employment in Canada.

Upon verification, the real Fraser Health in Canada denied the e-mail came from it.

The fake company uses free e-mail accounts at hushmail.com whereas the true Fraser Health uses its domain name fraserhealth.ca.

Cacdac said the come-ons offered by the fake company could be hard to refuse for some Filipino workers looking for overseas jobs.

The e-mail said applicants would not be charged any placement or processing fee, and the cost of air fare and work visa would be paid by the employer.

However, the catch is they have to pay P3,750 for “Canadian Embassy Interview Coaching” and medical tests costing up to P5,000.

“Because the company is not real, the victims are unnecessarily spending hard-earned money in pursuit of non-existent jobs,” Cacdac said.*AFP

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