More than 71,000 job recruitment posts and accounts were taken down from social media platforms Facebook and TikTok amid the intensified crackdown against illegal recruitment, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said more accounts and posts will be removed soon as they have already coordinated with the Philippine offices of various social media platforms such as Meta Philippines and TikTok Philippines.
“As we find them, we take them down. Every illegal recruitment post we see online, we immediately report and coordinate with Facebook and TikTok for the deactivation of those accounts,” said Cacdac.
Based on the DMW data, a total of 50,220 suspicious posts on Facebook and 21,433 on TikTok were already deactivated.
Cacdac disclosed that the syndicates operating the posts and accounts were posing as as legitimate recruitment agencies by duplicating the official Facebook pages of DMW-licensed agencies to entice prospective applicants.
“There were duplications of accounts and pages of legitimate recruitment agencies on Facebook. We had a meeting with these agencies, and Facebook agreed to take down all these copycat sites,” Cacdac said.
The DMW, through its Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB) is also partnering with concerned government agencies, local government units, and key social partners to empower OFWs and would-be OFWs, as well as to strengthen its monitoring and deterrence of illegal recruitment schemes.
Cacdac then urged Filipino overseas job seekers to be more cautious against dubious job offers on social media” They should always verify the legitimacy of their preferred agencies to avoid falling victim to internet-related modus operandi of these illegal recruiters.”
The DMW urges the public to immediately report any suspicious recruitment activities online to DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/dmwairtip/, email at [email protected] or through their hotline number +63 2 8721-0619 for legal assistance.