Summer and scams – what bonds them together? Raul J. Palabrica, SEC commissioner and former Reader’s Advocate of the Philippine Daily Inquirer says con artists are more aggressive in the summer. He wrote:
What is it about summer that encourages con artists to come out and try to bilk unwitting Filipinos of their hard-earned money?
Perhaps, the hot weather has a way of making people drop their guard and become prey to glib talkers. The relaxed atmosphere may have something to do with it. With school over and the children on vacation, most parents (especially those who do not suffer from financial problems) are in a giddy emotional state.
Read the rest of his column here:
Whatever the season and the reason, scams suck. It is especially heartbreaking to see con artists going after those who can hardly pay for their children’s tuition. Palabrica wrote about several types of scams that have been victimizing a lot of Filipinos lately, but I’m particularly incensed about recruitment scams that not only separate victims from money they don’t have yet (borrowed funds), but also kill their self-esteem, hope for the future and turn them into slaves of debt.
You would be surprised how recruiters would go to far flung provinces to lure public school teachers, construction workers, nurses and others into paying placement fees of P100,000 to P200,000 for a job overseas and empty promises of prosperity. It’s sad to see victims borrowing money to pay such amounts as they grasp at straws to improve their lives.
And this happens even with repeated warnings from the government. Somehow, the reasoning is always: “Not this one. This is different.”
Sometimes, the recruitment agency IS accredited and in good standing. But why in the world would Filipinos agree to pay a huge placement fee, give half of their entire salary every month to the recruiter and pay for their ticket to go back home?
Getting a good job is part of good personal financial planning. Graduating from a job into becoming a shrewd businessman is one of the routes used by others to have a financially rewarding life. Working overseas has become a reality for most Filipinos.
I personally find nothing wrong with that. The world’s boundaries have thinned and sometimes the learning, at a certain season in our lives, takes us to other countries. Hopefully, however, Filipinos will know better than to grab any offer without studying it first.
There are many scams out there. As Mr. Palabrica says at the end of his column:
Ignore [them]! There are enough suckers born in our world every minute.
July 2nd, 2007 at 3:55 am
i really hate scammers…
May 12th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
GO to http://www. gov.ph/forums. There you will find out a lot about scammers.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
scam filter quote:
“If its too good to be true, it usually is.”
oda.
April 24th, 2007 at 2:02 am
Two things:
1. Vigilance of every individual in scrutinizing opportunities for false promises (let’s not be gullible.), and
2. Vigilance of the government to catch illegal recruiters and scammers, and provide opportunities for the citizens (the government should not just issue public announcements and rely on the individuals to ward off such. It is their duty to catch these criminals, and in the first place, provide jobs locally so that people don’t find jobs elsewhere).
Web usability side note: Your blog’s comment text area is trimmed in Safari. Could you please check your CSS so that other poeple who use browsers other than Internet Explorer get to enjoy the full extent of your blog?
April 23rd, 2007 at 8:42 pm
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