‘Jersey Oil’ firm's slippery offer tricks Filipinos

Tuesday 18 September 2018

Dozens of Filipino people hoping to work in Jersey were nearly left unemployed, out of pocket and stranded on the other side of the world after being targeted by a scam offering a “too good to be true” job at a local oil company.

Many Filipinos this summer received an “official employment letter” purporting to be from Jersey Oil and Gas – a real drilling company headquartered in the island - and featuring their logo and address.

The three-year job offer, which was advertised by a London agency, involved free board and lodging, free travel, free medical care and 30 days paid annual leave – all in return for paying a “migration clearance” fee.

Pictured: The fake job scam targeted Filipinos, offering them free flights to their new place of work in Jersey. 

But, according to a warning sent out by Philippine government officials, the employment opportunity had all the “tell-tale signs” of being a fake.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) – a government body that approves companies for its citizens to work in – said that Jersey Oil wasn’t on its books, nor had it ever applied to be. 

Moreover, a letter from ‘UK Visas and Immigration’ contained a litany of grammatical errors, while the 'official' job offer letter had a different telephone number than the one displayed on Jersey Oil and Gas’s website.

Pictured: The website said the company wasn’t recruiting.

The site also indicated that the company was not currently hiring, and never dealt with external recruitment agencies.

Philippine government officials warned those seeking a job overseas to "beware" and check whether an employer is accredited before applying to jobs in future.

"The [Philippine Overseas Employment Office] at present has no record of accreditation or job orders in the name of Jersey Oil. Any effort by this company to recruit Filipino workers at present is deemed illegal by our government," a statement read.

Despite the declaration, there was no suggestion that the company was involved in the alleged scam. Express contacted Jersey Oil and Gas for comment, but is yet to receive a response.