Sheep thrills: Fake farm job scams target Australian job seekers

Job seekers have been warned by the Department of Employment (DoE) that there is a new wolf in sheep’s clothing on the prowl. The DoE is urging caution as cunning scammers weave a web of deceit, dangling the allure of lucrative agricultural jobs in Australia to unsuspecting victims.

These crafty con artists are exploiting social media to lure hopeful applicants, promising bumper salaries between 90,000 and 120,000 baht per month for overseas farming roles. The bait includes sweet promises of work permits valid for up to five years, with additional perks like visa fees and accommodation footed by the supposed employers.

But here’s the catch: victims are stung by an operation fee ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 baht. Duped job seekers are even asked to submit personal documents, such as ID cards, passports and house registrations, allegedly for background checks and visa applications, said Somchai Morakotsriwan, DoE Director General.

“After the money was transferred, the scammers became unreachable.”

Communication comes to an abrupt halt once these fraudsters pocket the cash.

Make no mistake, there are no new deals in place to export labour to Australia, officials have confirmed. Somchai emphasised that hopeful job hunters should scrutinise any overseas work offer by visiting the Central Employment Registration and Jobseeker Protection Division’s official site at doe.go.th/ipd before parting with cash.

In the past year alone, the department has recorded 608 victims across 452 deceitful schemes, racking up losses totalling a staggering 44 million baht.

Local government officials are urging Thais to proceed with caution, verify those tempting job offers, and stick to official channels to avoid getting caught in a scammer’s snare. Stay savvy, and safeguard yourself from this down under deception!