December 8, 2015
Ask, Write Down, and Verify to Protect Yourself from Recruitment Fraud
On December 7, 2015, the Regional Labor Mobility Initiative (INILAB) launched the campaign, “Before you pay for a visa, Ask, Write Down, and Verify,” or #PreguntaApuntaVerifica, which aims to prevent fraud affecting migrant workers during the labor recruitment process.
Each year, thousands of migrant workers from Mexico and Central America who seek job opportunities through transnational migrant labor mechanisms are defrauded by recruiters and recruitment agencies who offer false jobs in order to steal money or confiscate properties and personal information. Such fraud has a serious impact on individuals’ and communities’ economic stability.
This initiative seeks to inform migrant communities in order to prevent human and labor rights violations.
To learn about strategies to protect yourself from fraud, listen to this radio spot, which will be disseminated by radio stations across Mexico:
Careful: Recruitment fraud is very common. False recruiters offer you a fake job to take your money or personal information.
You should not have to pay to get a job or be put on a waiting list.
The recruiter should tell you where you will work, what the job will be, how long it will last, the name of your employer, and the type of visa that you will receive to do your job.
If the recruiter cannot give you this information, that’s a red flag that the offer may be fraudulent.
- For more information call Mexico’s National Employment Service at 01-800-841-2020
- If you are in the United States, call the Center for Information and Assistance for Mexican Citizens, at 1-855-463-6395
- And take a look at the website, www.Contratados.org
Remember: Before you pay for a visa, Ask, Write Down, and Verify!
There are also spots about recruitment for jobs in the north of Mexico, spots in Tseltal, Tsotsil, and Tojolabal, and spots directed at people from El Salvador and Guatemala who are recruited to work in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. You can listen to all of the spots here and read the information in this Contratados comic.
To join the campaign, “like” INILAB’s Facebook page, follow INILAB on Twitter, and use the hashtag #PreguntaApuntaVerifica.
Also, “like” the Contratados.org Facebook page and share your experiences with recruiters and employers so that other people can be more informed.