POEA warns of fake online registration system

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration building. Photo from www.poea.gov.ph

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has warned licensed recruitment agencies and medical clinics serving overseas Filipino workers (OFW) of an existing fake online registration system posing as a microsite of the Gulf Cooperation Council Ministry of Health.

In an advisory on Saturday, the POEA said that the Department of Health (DOH) denied giving an approval to any scheme that requires a registration fee of $10 for Pre-Employment Medical Examination applicants.

The Medical Facilities for Overseas Workers and Seafarers was also prohibited by the DOH from participating in the alleged scam, the agency added.

The POEA cited Department Circular No. 0371 released on December 22, 2017, which states that “since online registration system charges additional fees to OFW applicants and can be limited to few selected DOH-accredited OFW clinics, it may be taken as another form of monopoly in providing health examination services for Filipino migrant workers.”

The agency also advised the public as well as DOH-accredited clinics to report to the DOH any activity involving such online registration systems. /jpv

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