Continue to inspect and examine labor export companies in Nghe An

"Ghost" labor export company scams hundreds of people

Nghe An police have just issued an order to prosecute and temporarily detain Tran Thi Hang Nga (born in 1984), residing in Dien Ngoc commune, Dien Chau district, for the crime of fraud and appropriation of money from workers in the form of receiving money and documents to complete procedures for exporting labor abroad.

According to the initial investigation results of the Investigation Police Agency of Nghe An Province Police, from the beginning of 2022 to mid-2023, although she had no function in organizing the sending of citizens to work abroad, Tran Thi Hang Nga still introduced herself as the director of a company with the function of sending people to work abroad and committed that Nga could complete the procedures for exporting labor to other countries, at a price 200 - 300 million VND cheaper than other places. In the contracts and direct interviews with workers, Nga affirmed that the cases her company accepted to complete the procedures for labor export all had a high success rate, with very few failures.

With the promise of Tran Thi Hang Nga and seeing the price much cheaper than other companies, many brokers trusted and posted recruitment for people who wanted to travel and export labor to introduce to Nga. From the beginning of 2022 to mid-2023, hundreds of citizens who wanted to travel and export labor to countries such as Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, etc. were introduced by brokers and sent their documents to Nga for procedures.

During the process of receiving procedures for citizens who want to travel or export labor, Nga provided information for citizens to pay in many installments with a total amount of billions of VND, however, after paying, they still could not go as Nga promised. Many citizens asked Nga to pay, Nga delayed many times and did not pay.

All the money received from citizens, Nga used to pay debts and personal expenses. The police agency also determined that Nga's company office in Hanoi was only an hourly rental office, in the office there was only 1 set of tables and chairs (no computer, printer, documents) and no employees.

Based on the collected documents and evidence, on May 19, 2024, the Criminal Police Department issued a decision to prosecute the accused and an arrest warrant for Tran Thi Hang Nga for the crime of "Fraudulent appropriation of property" as prescribed in Clause 4, Article 174 of the Penal Code. Searching Tran Thi Hang Nga's residence, the authorities seized 1 laptop, 1 desktop computer, 3 mobile phones, many passports, fingerprint appointment photos for visa application, and electronic visa images showing signs of being edited.

Initially, the police agency determined that from the beginning of 2022 to mid-2023, Tran Thi Hang Nga received the records of more than 500 citizens in many provinces and cities across the country who wanted to travel and work abroad, introduced by brokers, with the total amount of money Nga received from the citizens being more than 20 billion VND.

According to information from many units that have been licensed to send workers abroad, there are currently many companies in the area advertising study abroad and labor export to European and Asian markets with high incomes, but they are not necessarily fully licensed to broker and send workers abroad. Therefore, many workers are trapped or stuck, unable to leave the country after submitting their applications and deposits to these companies.

Mr. Nguyen Le Thang - Director of Phuc Chien Thang Trading Company said: "Many workers come to my company asking if they are allowed to apply without a deposit, because in reality they have fallen into traps and paid money to ghost companies."

Strengthen inspection and strict handling

Recently, the authorities have stepped up propaganda about the methods and tricks of subjects who take advantage of labor export to commit fraud and appropriate property. However, due to lack of knowledge and trust in attractive information, many workers are still "trapped" by these subjects.

According to the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, every year the department proposes the Provincial People's Committee to establish an interdisciplinary team to periodically inspect and examine labor export and study abroad brokerage units in the area. Last year, the interdisciplinary inspection team directly inspected 18 enterprises and units operating in employment services and sending workers to work abroad under contracts in Quynh Luu district, Vinh city.

Mr. Vi Ngoc Quynh - Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said: Through inspection, it was found that the units with operating licenses basically complied well with the regulations on the Law on Employment and the Law on Sending Workers to Work Abroad under Contract. However, the inspection team also discovered some units with violations and shortcomings such as: Units that have not been licensed by competent authorities but have posted information on the internet, advertising signs that violate regulations. Some units are licensed to operate in the field of studying abroad but have posted advertising signs with information about labor export, causing misunderstandings for workers.

“The delegation has proposed that the Inspectorate of the Department of Culture and Sports and the Inspectorate of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs impose administrative penalties for violations in advertising and employment services on 3 enterprises, with a total amount of 42,750,000 VND and draw up a record requesting the units to correct the violations the delegation pointed out,” said Mr. Quynh.

The interdisciplinary delegation also requested the Department of Education and Training to strengthen inspection of units operating in study abroad consultancy; to rectify units licensed to operate in the field of study abroad but still providing consultancy services to send workers to work abroad.

The Department of Culture and Sports needs to inspect and strictly handle violations related to the field of advertising and hanging signs and billboards related to the field of providing, consulting, and introducing laborers to work abroad under contracts for units that do not have the function of providing employment services and sending laborers to work abroad under contracts.

People's Committees of districts, cities and towns need to strengthen state management of employment services and sending workers to work abroad under contracts; Review the list of units operating in the field of providing, consulting and introducing domestic and foreign jobs located in the area; Organize inspections and examinations of units operating in the area on employment services and sending workers to work abroad under contracts.

Mr. Quynh emphasized: “For units that do not have the function of providing employment services and sending workers to work abroad under contracts, the inspection team requested that they immediately stop consulting, recruiting, providing jobs and sending workers to work abroad under contracts; they are not allowed to announce recruitment and sending workers to work abroad under contracts without being licensed by the competent authority. At the same time, they must remove and destroy leaflets that do not match the licensed content, and change advertising signs according to the licensed content.”