Ministry reports fake farm programme to Fraud Squad

THE Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development (MOLSED) has referred to the Fraud Squad a group recruiting workers for a fake farm programme in Canada.

The unknown group is using a Facebook page to falsely advertise employment opportunities in farming and is charging a fee to do so.

The ministry has disassociated itself from the Facebook page, “Farm Program” (@hiredmejob), and is warning the public to be aware of the con.

The ministry said in a statement on Monday, “The Farm Programme Unit, which falls under the Manpower Division of the Ministry, is responsible for the temporary recruitment and selection of workers for a specific period throughout the year on Canadian Farms in the Provinces of Ontario and Albert.”

It said this programme is facilitated through a bilateral administrative agreement between the governments of Canada and TT which sets out the parameters of employment for both employer and employee and is reviewed annually through discussions and negotiations.

The ministry cautioned the public not to interact with this FB page or follow any instructions it gave.

It instead said information on the legitimate programme could be found on the ministry’s website using the link at http://molsed.gov.tt/employment/nes/farm-programme.

Newsday sought further details and in a written response from the communication unit was told: “The group has taken information from the ministry’s website (www.molsed.gov.tt) to populate the details on their FB page offering the recruitment opportunities to persons interested in working on farms in Canada.”

The ministry said it is not aware of anyone going through with the transaction via the false FB page, but said, “It was brought to our attention by someone verifying its authenticity.”

The ministry confirmed that a fee is being charged, which constitutes an act of fraud, and in the circumstance, the matter is being referred to the Fraud Squad for further investigation and hopefully, prosecution.