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Showing posts with label modus operandi. Show all posts

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Man Behind Investment Scam That Victimized OFWs, Arrested

The man behind alleged investment scam was arrested by police authorities in Barangay Muzon, San Jose del Monte Bulacan.

The suspect is identified as Sherwin Piramide, who according to GMA report, amassed P30 million pesos. Majority of his victims is said to be Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

Saturday, August 26, 2017

UK Labor Attache Warns of FAKE UK Jobs - and Here's How to Spot Them

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The Head of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in London Reydeluz D. Conferido is warning the public about another fake UK-based company posting bogus job orders. Based on his experience in dealing with such unscrupulous scammers, the Labor Attache believes that the people behind the scam are based in Africa or Eastern Europe.

They are apparently offering jobs that the UK Government has deemed exclusive for European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) citizens only. Another obvious sign that the job postings are fake is that the salaries being offered for some of the skilled labor jobs are higher than that of nurses - an obvious fake.

The fake company named "Wilber & Co. Construction Limited" sent the fake job orders to several recruitment agencies in the Philippines in an attempt to dupe people in thinking that they are legitimate.

See original post here:

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Labor Attache Conferido also warned of a job offer letter for nanny or domestic workers for the UK and is asking for the payment of fees. The electronic letters even contain the logos and names of the Philippine and British Embassies to make it appear legal.

The offer includes the promise of a ready employer and a "contract." However, the letter is also asking for payment via money transfer. They even included two names as recipients. Conferido says these job offers has scam written all over it. See the letter below:

OFW News: Did Pinay Helper in Hong Kong Commit Suicide in Shenzen China?

The appearance of fake job offers have been a huge problem as these scammers have taken advantage of wider social media access and the ease of hiding behind fake e-mail and social media accounts.

The rapid improvement in technology also allows scammers to forge fake documents such as the ones shown below:

A fake receipt being presented as proof of authenticity of a job order. Notice the fake logo. Also, why is the receipt from DOLE, but the transaction in with the Philippine Embassy in London. Real receipts should also be machine validatedNotice too the cost of verification. GBP 720, whereas the real cost of authentication is only GBP 23, add GBP 10 for expedited service.

A fake document showing apparent "proof" of verification of authenticity. While the gold dry seal looks OK, however, you can see that the blue stamp is clearly fake. Compare it with the one from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh. It is also curious that the "red ribbon" is attached to the document itself. In a real certificate of authenticity, all the pages are bound together with a paper rivet and the gold seal and red ribbon are placed on a cover - the certificate of authenticity. The stamp is placed with the signature of the authenticating officer as well as the paper rivet (if there is no red ribbon). See real samples below:

Read: 61 Visa-Free Countries Filipinos Can Visit in 2017

But the modus of fake hiring agencies are not limited to online. Even in the streets if Metro Manila, fake hiring agencies abound, scamming people who unfortunately pass by. See the modus operandi in the video below.

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Fake job scam is one of the worst kind of scams since the most common victims are those that are actually without work and have only borrowed money just to pay for placement and other fees required for landing a job.

Here are some tips for you to spot a fake job offer online:

Fake jobs are usually offered online. But not all online job postings are fake. E-mail offers are the most common way of spreading fake jobs, but social media is becoming common too.
Fake online jobs sometimes use "real" information that are usually publicly available like

names of real employment agencies
names of real people associated with the government, or with employment agencies
address of recruitment agencies and government labor offices
names of real companies that apparently are hiring

Fake jobs are not published or listed with the POEA. You can always verify information through the POEA website. You can also verify the authenticity of a job order by checking with a local recruitment agency listed in the offer.
If a job offer focuses on payment or comes asking for money up front - especially via money transfer, it is usually a scam.
If a job is offering an unusually large salary than other similar jobs, it may be fake.
If a job offer contains errors in grammar or spelling, or lacks details about the job itself, it is likely a scam.
A job offer that uses logos of government agencies, it is likely a scam. Government to government hiring is only posted via the POEA.
Jobs that appear to be from agencies or government offices but use personal e-mail addresses are usually fake. Bigger companies have corporate emails - instead of gmail, yahoo or other personal mail services.

source: Business Mirror, PNA

UAE to Implement Sin Taxes in October

The cost of living in the UAE is about to increase in a few weeks. Starting October 1, the price of some selected items will increase by as much as 100 percent, or double. The UAE’s tax authority announced that a 50 per cent tax would be imposed on carbonated drinks, while energy drinks and tobacco products would attract a 100 percent tax. Carbonated water is exempt from the carbonated drinks tax. The prices of excise goods at points of sale - groceries and stores - must include the Excise Tax. Duty Free purchases at airports will also be exempt from the tax, as long as passengers are leaving the UAE. Passengers who purchase duty free items as they arrive in the UAE will be taxed. UAE's Tax announcement comes just two months since Saudi Arabia imposed SIN TAXES on similar items with similar price increases in June. President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan approved the Federal Decree-Law on Excise Tax last Monday, imposing excise taxes to products that are deemed unhealthy. The plan to tax products that are detrimental to health has been in place for some time now. The government hopes people will cut down on sugary products following this tax. The UAE government also hopes the new excise taxes will help boost revenue and help offset the impact of lower oil prices. The gradual introduction of such taxes is part of a region-wide effort in the Gulf to diversify revenue streams away from oil. The tax is expected to generate up to around Dh7 billion in annual revenues for the Federal Budget. They also believe, the move will reduce health costs for thousands of residents in the Emirates due to medical costs of obesity. Additional products may be taxed in the future at rates of up to 200 per cent, but as of now it is just energy drinks, fizzy drinks, and tobacco. Experts say the new taxes on tobacco products and carbonated drinks will have an impact on the industry. They predict that the impact on the sale of fizzy and energy drinks would be swift and severe. “Sales will plummet as a result of the tax, because people have a choice. If carbonated drinks are much more expensive, then people will just opt for water,” said one analyst. This is just the beginning. Like other GCC states, UAE is also set to introduce VAT for the first time in its history. A 5% tax will be implemented starting January 2018. Of course, some basic goods are VAT exempt, but UAE, especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, is known as a haven for luxury goods. sources: Washington Post, GulfNews

5 Things To Watch Out For If You Plan To Work In New Zealand

New Zealand has always been one of the top destinations for migrant workers seeking employment and residency abroad. With its beautiful climate and eye-catching scenery, people think of life in New Zealand as perfect. The country also welcomes migrant workers, more so than others. Filipinos prefer working in New Zealand too, especially in the dairy industry. But recent developments in migrant laws are putting this view into question. Add to that, recent incidences of racial and employment abuse should make prospective migrant workers think twice before coming to New Zealand. Don't take me wrong. New Zealand is a nice place, and the people are wonderful. This only serves as a warning for people to know what to look for when considering working in this country. A new report authored by a former Parliament member and commissioned by a migrant workers' union highlighted astonishing abuses of migrants, particularly Filipinos, working in the Dairy Industry. An estimated 1,700 Filipinos work in the country’s dairy farms. The report is based on interviews with 27 Filipino migrants working on dairy farms in both the North and South islands. A small number of New Zealand workers were also interviewed for comparison. Almost all those interviewed were not aware that they were already being abused, exploited and underpaid. But the shocking case is actually not limited to the Dairy Industry. Similar cases were recorded elsewhere - in restaurants, fishing boats, construction, hospitality and horticulture industries and in other areas where migrant workers often find work. Foreign students doubling as workers are also vulnerable. Below is a list of the 5 things to watch out for if you plan to or is already working in New Zealand. Physical/Verbal Abuse Kiwis, local people, have a thick accent much like Australians. Also, yelling and swearing are quite normal for locals. Add unfamiliar words and slang to the mix and you get confusion. This becomes a dangerous mix when misunderstanding and stress comes together in a workplace. Cultural differences lead to instances like these. While a local employer might think it normal, a migrant employee could actually feel or could really be undergoing verbal abuse. Where there is verbal abuse, physical abuse is not far behind. Overwork According to interviews by government officials, they found some farm workers that said they often worked 20-hour days and used heavy machinery without proper breaks or time off. Similar long hours were noted in restaurants as well, with one incidence of a migrant worker collapsing from exhaustion and being asked to continue working once she was able to stand. Fishermen were in the worst scenario, working 16-hours per day, but are stuck in a ship for up to two weeks - in often hazardous conditions. The worse part, many of the overworked workers are paid very little, and in some cases, not paid for all the time they put into work. Many are also found to not enjoying a customary day off. Underpaid Surveys reveal that a number of migrant workers are paid less for the same job as locals. The wage disparity is even bigger for jobs that locals do not like to take. Some migrant workers even do not know the minimum wage in New Zealand, receiving much less per hour rate. Some workers, especially in far flung areas are also missing out on statutory entitlements as well as overtime pay. Those who work for 16 to 20 hours a day often receive wage for just 8 to 12 hours. Being Exposed to Dangerous Conditions Farm workers, fishermen and those in construction face huge dangers in their job. And some employers are not helping the situation either. In the case of dairy farm workers, employees are forced to use damaged equipment and also left without Personal Protective Equipment like gloves, helmets, jumpsuits or masks. In an interview, one farm worker said "I just kept vomiting with all the chemicals I use." Workers actually have a right to refuse work if they think that the work being asked is likely to cause them serious harm. Work can only continue if the employer and employee have agreed that the work has an essential, understood risk of serious harm, and the appropriate hazard controls have been put in place. The New Zealand government is aware of the exploitation of migrant workers, and they have steadily worked to eliminate such shameful practices, especially in blue collar jobs. Some of the basic rights, known as "minimum rights" in NZ are below: Click here to see the complete list of migrant workers rights in New Zealand. source: Radio NZ, Inquirer, Stuff, New Zealand Immigration

Know the Maintaining Balance and Dormancy Fees of Your Bank

A viral post about a bank depositor has opened the minds of Filipinos about the concept of Bank Account Maintaining Balance and Dormancy Fees. In the FB post below, a certain depositor showed her passbook, wherein a deposit of more than Php5,600 was slowly reduced to zero due to some unknown charge. These are relatively unnoticed charges buried in those long multi-page contracts written in small type or fine print that we sign when we open a new bank account. If you are not remotely aware of these charges, you might be in trouble. I urge you to read on. What is Maintaining Balance Maintaining Balance is the minimum amount that a bank or financial institution requires a customer to maintain in his or her account. The banks say they spend money to handle people's accounts, so they must make some profit from these accounts, and therefore, according to them, customers should maintain a certain minimum amount of money in these accounts. The Maintaining Balance is actually the average balance in an account for 30 days or 31 days of the month - so it's actually called Average Daily Balance (ADB). Banks consider the end-of-day balance. If an account's balance in the morning is 10,000 pesos, and at the end of the day, the balance is 15,000 pesos, they consider 15,000 pesos. Philippine banks differ in their requirements for Maintaining Balance and penalties. Since there are too many banks to mention, here's a compilation of the most common banks in the Philippines: Now that you know the maintaining balance for the given banks, and how much penalties you have to pay if you go below, it's time to learn how to estimate your account's ADB or Average Daily Balance: Let's say you have an account in a bank whose Maintaining Balance is at Php2,000. The deposited amount in your account changed four times in a month, 30 days. ADB is calculated by adding the end-of-day balances for all the days of the current month, and then dividing the total by the number of days of the month. For February, that would be 28 days - 29 if on a leap year. For example, in the first 5 days of the month, your daily balance was Php2,000. You took out Php1,000 on the sixth day. For the next 15 days, your balance everyday was at Php1,000 until you deposited Php2,000 on the 21st, taking your balance up to Php3,000. It stayed there for 5 days. You took out Php2,000 pesos in the 26th day, and for the last 5 days, your balance everyday was Php1,000. The calculation for your account's ADB is as follows: This means, your account's ADB is Php1,500, well below the Maintaining Balance of Php2,000. If for the following month, your ADB is again below Php2,000 - your account balance will be charged with Penalty for below Maintaining Balance (see Tables above for how much). Maintaining Balance Penalty is easy to avoid. Simply keep saving on your account well above the Maintaining Balance requirements. Also, some accounts are said to not require Maintaining Balance. The most common is a Payroll Account. Dormancy Fee Bank accounts that are considered dormant are those that have no deposits or withdrawals for about two years. OFWs are usually the one whose account become dormant since they have left these accounts behind while working abroad. Thankfully, the BSP has revised the rules and now require banks and other financial institutions to implement a monthly dormancy fee that is not higher than Php30. A savings account becomes dormant after 24 months of no deposit nor withdrawal. A checking account becomes dormant after 12 months. When an account becomes dormant, the account is put on hold - not earning interests. To reactivate the account, the depositor needs to go to the branch with his valid IDs and reactivate the account. Dormancy Fee can only be imposed "if there is no deposit or withdrawal from the account for five years, if the deposits is below the minimum monthly average daily balance, and if the depository bank or financial institution has complied with the 2 of the notification requirements stated below: A depositor must be informed through mail, courier delivery, electronic mail (e-mail) telephone call and other means 60 days before the account becomes dormant and 60 days before the imposition of dormancy fees. Banks are now required to notify dormant accounts holders of the situation in three instances. First is before the start of the dormancy period. Second, when the dormancy fee will be imposed. Tthird, when the account will be placed under escheat - a legal procedure when the contents of the account will be reverted to the National Treasurer in line with the Unclaimed Balances Act. So the next time you will open a bank account, read the fine print first - the contract. Also, banks are required by law to post their fees on retail deposit, remittance and loan products/services in their official website and in conspicuous places in all banking units.

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Saturday, January 14, 2017

WARNING: CAN SALIVA AND SALT DO THIS TO YOUR CAR WINDOWS?

Car owners beware and be cautious!
Be careful not to leave your important belongings and valuables inside your car. The car thieves has learned and use this simple method to break your car windows and take whatever anything of valuethey can find inside.
A video has been making rounds in Youtube and social media
In this video, a thief was forced by the police to demonstrate how they break the cars glass window with the use of something you would not believe can ever do this, salt and saliva.

The thief has a certain amount of salt in his hand, wet it with his own saliva, applied pressure to form it into a lump.
He then aim to the window and threw the lump of salt towards the glass window.
The glass was easily shattered.
With a slight push on the shattered window, the thief can now have full access to the car, taking anything he wants, or worst, he can take even the car itself.

However, some videos reveal that the material used to shatter car glass windows is not salt, but fragments of aluminum oxide from the spark plug.

The density of the fragments is more effective to break the glass windows of the car than throwing the whole spark plug.

Either way, this post is made to make you aware of the possible tricks that car thieves can possibly do to your car and it is the best thing that you are made aware of these schemes for your own safety.

Read More:

China's plans to hire Filipino household workers to their five major cities including Beijing and Shanghai, was reported at a local newspaper Philippine Star. it could be a big break for the household workers who are trying their luck in finding greener pastures by working overseas China is offering up to P100,000 a month, or about HK$15,000. The existing minimum allowable wage for a foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong is around HK$4,310 per month. Dominador Say, undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), said that talks are underway with Chinese embassy officials on this possibility. China’s five major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen will soon be the haven for Filipino domestic workers who are seeking higher income. DOLE is expected to have further negotiations on the launch date with a delegation from China in September. according to Usec Say, Chinese employers favor Filipino domestic workers for their English proficiency, which allows them to teach their employers’ children. Chinese embassy officials also mentioned that improving ties with the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte has paved the way for the new policy to materialize. There is presently a strict work visa system for foreign workers who want to enter mainland China. But according Usec. Say, China is serious about the proposal. Philippine Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said an estimated 200,000 Filipino domestic helpers are presently working illegally in China. With a great demand for skilled domestic workers, Filipino OFWs would have an option to apply using legal processes on their desired higher salary for their sector. Source: ejinsight.com, PhilStar Read More: The effectivity of the Nationwide Smoking Ban or E.O. 26 (Providing for the Establishment of Smoke-free Environment in Public and Enclosed Places) started today, July 23, but only a few seems to be aware of it. President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Executive Order 26 with the citizens health in mind. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the executive order is a milestone where the government prioritize public health protection. The smoking ban includes smoking in places such as schools, universities and colleges, playgrounds, restaurants and food preparation areas, basketball courts, stairwells, health centers, clinics, public and private hospitals, hotels, malls, elevators, taxis, buses, public utility jeepneys, ships, tricycles, trains, airplanes, and gas stations which are prone to combustion. The Department of Health urges all the establishments to post "no smoking" signs in compliance with the new executive order. They also appeal to the public to report any violation against the nationwide ban on smoking in public places. Read More: ©2017 THOUGHTSKOTO www.jbsolis.com SEARCH JBSOLIS, TYPE KEYWORDS and TITLE OF ARTICLE at the box below Smoking is only allowed in designated smoking areas to be provided by the owner of the establishment. Smoking in private vehicles parked in public areas is also prohibited. What Do You Need To know About The Nationwide Smoking Ban Violators will be fined P500 to P10,000, depending on their number of offenses, while owners of establishments caught violating the EO will face a fine of P5,000 or imprisonment of not more than 30 days. The Department of Health urges all the establishments to post "no smoking" signs in compliance with the new executive order. They also appeal to the public to report any violation against the nationwide ban on smoking in public places. ©2017 THOUGHTSKOTO

Dominador Say, undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), said that talks are underway with Chinese embassy officials on this possibility. China’s five major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen will soon be the destination for Filipino domestic workers who are seeking higher income.

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