DFA warns against Italy, France job scam

Filipinos planning to work in Italy and France should be wary of a scam by illegal recruiters using forged Philippine passports and fake Schengen visas, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warned yesterday.

The warning came after the DFA received a report from the Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong on the arrest and prosecution of three Filipinos bound for Europe for using bogus travel documents this month.

Consul General Alejandrino Vicente said a Hong Kong court sentenced the three Filipinos to nine months imprisonment each. They are now serving their prison terms at the Tai Lam Correctional Center for Women.

Under Hong Kong laws, anyone who uses a forged travel document commits an offense that carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment and a fine of HK$150,000 or $19,355.

In his report, Vicente said the three victims were told to pay amounts ranging from P85,000 to P450,000 each for the plane tickets, forged passports and fake employment visas for Italy and France.

He added that two of the victims were arrested while in transit in Hong Kong while the third victim was apprehended upon arrival in Rome and deported back to Hong Kong by Italian immigration authorities.

The consulate asked Filipinos currently employed in Hong Kong to advise their relatives or friends in the Philippines to first inquire from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration office to obtain accurate information on the application process for overseas employment and an appropriate working visa.

The cases in Hong Kong established that "middlemen" from Batangas and Pampanga were involved.

Illegal recruiters in the Philippines offer spurious passports, visas and non-existent jobs in exchange for a large amount of money. — Pia Lee-Brago