The Labor Department warned Filipino jobseekers who wish to work in Canada against websites that claimed to be connected with the official website of the government of Canada.

According to Labor Secretary, Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, a report from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shows that scammers are now using legitimate-looking websites to charge high fees for non-existent jobs and fake immigration deals to workers who wish to work in Canada.

Baldoz said, “We want our OFWs to be vigilant against illegal and predatory overseas employment operations. They themselves should become their own lookout during their job hunting to avoid falling victims.”

The Secretary also said that the deceptive website managed to look legal by using the logo of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) even without legal permission.

The DFA report also specified the entities that are allowed to charge fees from Canada-bound applicants- they are the immigration consultants, lawyers, Quebec notaries, and paralegals regulated by a law society.

Baldoz also encouraged Filipino workers who want to work in Canada to go through the proper processes of the DFA to avoid being victimized by unscrupulous individuals and illegal recruiters.

She said “As recruitment scams proliferate, jobseekers should be watchful and should guard themselves against too-good-to-be-true offers that might merely lead them to the path of those who have victimized by scammers.”