“Manpower firms found defrauding aspiring overseas workers via agents”

…The manpower sector is engaged in fraudulent activities, deceiving many young individuals aspiring for foreign employment. When manpower (recruitment) companies start defrauding people by employing agents, there is a situation where complaints are filed against the agents and nothing is done against the companies…

…when the victims go to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) to file a complaint that they have been cheated, they file the complaint not against the manpower company, but against the agent. According to the data of the DoFE, the incidents of fraud are increasing…

As of mid-March of the current fiscal year 2023-24, as many as 5,881 complaints have been filed. Out of that, only 752 complaints have been filed against manpower companies while 5,129 have been filed against the agents or middlemen…

…manpower entrepreneurs are not authorized to hire agents. In the past, manpower entrepreneurs hired agents to send workers abroad. …

…By offering commissions, manpower companies have turned agents into intermediaries who attract clients…

Many victims do not even know which manpower company is sending them abroad or why they are giving money to individuals….

…incidents of fraud through agents and individuals are on the rise….