Hundreds of Filipinos Paid Countless Dollars to Canada Recruitment Agency In Job Scam-reports

Hundreds of Filipinos in Canada were scammed by a Vancouver-based recruitment company after paying countless dollars for supposed jobs however were never ever employed, according to reports.

CBC News Canada and ABS-CBN News reported that The Promise Land Consultancy, owned by Filipino-Canadian Joseph Miranda Powers, allegedly promised jobs in Canada to Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.

Victims included Marilyn Fernandez Rabadon, a public high school head instructor in Pangasinan, and Marivic Sumawang Pingaron, a caretaker in Tel Aviv.

Rabadon and Pingaron recalled that they were recruited and convinced by TPLC agents to sign an agreement stipulating that they would pay the agency as much as C$ 12,000 (P496,000) to protect jobs.

They each made a deposit of the equivalent of P150,000 in Canadian dollars.

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Pingaron, who’s applying on behalf of her boy, stated she paid TPLC over C$ 8,000 (P332,000) in 2 installments. Rabadon, on the other hand, refused to pay more than her initial deposit of C$ 4,000 (P166,000).

According to Rabadon, the agreement stated that the payment would be refunded if she didn’t get a task offer within five months.

“Ang lakas ng loob ko na magbigay ng ano kasi anyway after 5 months, mare-refund ko naman,” she is quoted as stating.

They required a refund when no job uses emerged.

Pingaron became suspicious and asked for a refund when TPLC informed her that to get her son’s Labor Market Impact Assessment, a document that a Canadian company might require from foreign workers before employing them, she would require to make a second payment.

“Wala po ni piso akong na-refund,” Pingaron stated.

“Ken,” another victim, informed the media outlet that Miranda urged him to go to Canada as a traveler before working for TPLC while awaiting his documents.

Ken said he consulted with 14 Filipino tourists whom TPLC had also hired. A huge portion of their salary as supposed TPLC employees returned to the business for their retainer fees.

“Ilan po sa amin, mga apat po ata kami, binigyan po niya kami ng job deal na it turns out hindi naman pala valid,” Ken said. (Under Canadian laws, travelers can not operate in the country or else they ‘d face deportation.)

Ken stated other TPLC candidates paid the business with their life savings. Others likewise took loans.

They attempted to get a refund from TPLC, and when they could not, they sought the help of the Migrant Workers Center and submitted charges before the Small Claims Court of British Columbia.

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Rozana Solita, an immigration expert and former TPLC staff member, said she was surprised that the business instantly hired her upon applying in March 2024.

Solita, who gave up from TPLC after a month, said most candidates were asking her when they would receive task offers. She also expressed concern when TPLC allegedly charged candidates a downpayment varying from C$ 2,500 to C$ 3,500 (P103,000 to P145,000).

Applicants were likewise allegedly asked to sign a contract that had a breakdown of fees and migration services. The procedure, however, only required submitting a resume, according to Solita.

Solita stated she likewise saw 400 candidate folders dating back to 2023. Even with a “conservative” price quote, she noted that TPLC charged at least C$ 2 million (P83 million) to more than 150 individuals, and gathered at least C$ 500,000. She told CBC News that she believes she was hired as a “front to make themselves look genuine.”

Lawsuits

Ken and his companions filed cases against TPLC before the Employment Standards Branch for unfair incomes. They also filed cases before the Canada Border Services Agency and the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.

Criminal cases versus Miranda, on the other hand, consist of fraud, providing migration services without a license, and unlawful recruitment of foreign nationals.

In a declaration, the CBSA stated it “carefully examines all problems of criminal activity that might constitute an offense under the Customs Act or the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, consisting of those related to Labour Market Impact Assessment scams.”

“When we become mindful of scenarios where there are possible infraction of these acts, we investigate and take the proper action,” it added.

The CBSA also asked victims to file problems online through CBSA Border Watch.

According to ABS-CBN News, the TPLC office in Vancouver has currently been closed.

The company likewise has a new social networks page called “PLC Global Solutions,” which also hires hopefuls to operate in various nations. The page likewise has a new address for TPLC in California.

Ken said the Migrant Workers Office in Vancouver provided their group a money support of 1,500 Canadian dollars (P62,000).

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TAGS: work CANADA OFW fraud Overseas Filipino Workers The Promise Land Consultancy Joseph Miranda

NICK GARCIA

Nick blogs about politics, law, health, entertainment, and pop culture, to name a few. Outside work, he’s a wannabe artist and cook. Email him at nick@philstarlife.com.