DMW takes down 71,000 fake job listings on social media

MANILA, Philippines — To prevent the public from falling prey to illegal job posts, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has taken down and deactivated over 71,000 fake job postings in social media platforms in 2024.

The DMW, in collaboration with Meta Philippines and TikTok Philippines, made possible the deletion of 71,653 fake job postings and accounts in 2024, including 50,220 suspicious posts on Facebook and 21,433 on TikTok.

“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,” DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said in a statement.

Cacdac said these unscrupulous entities are masquerading as legitimate recruitment agencies by duplicating the official Facebook pages of DMW-licensed agencies to entice prospective applicants.

“We had a meeting with these agencies, and Facebook agreed to take down all these copycat sites,” the DMW chief added.

The DMW, through its Migrant Workers Protection Bureau, is also partnering with concerned government agencies, local government units and key social partners to empower overseas Filipino workers and would-be OFWs, as well as to strengthen its monitoring and deterrence of illegal recruitment schemes.

“Filipino overseas job seekers are encouraged to be more cautious against dubious job offers on social media and always verify the legitimacy of their preferred agencies to avoid falling victim to the internet-related modus operandi of these illegal recruiters,” the DMW said.

The DMW urged the public to immediately report any suspicious recruitment activities online to the DMW Anti-Illegal Recruitment and Trafficking in Persons Program Facebook page, email [email protected] or call their hotline number +63 2 8721-0619 for legal assistance.