Fake manning-agency warning

How fraudulent manning agencies imitate licensed agents, what they ask for, how to verify the real licence, and what to do if you have already paid.

What it looks like

A 'recruiter' contacts you on WhatsApp / Telegram / Facebook with an offer — usually for a tanker, container ship, or cruise line at a wage that is well above the published range. They send a glossy 'offer letter' on what looks like a real company letterhead. They ask for a series of small payments: documentation fee, training fee, medical fee, visa fee, processing fee. They name the vessel only after payment, or never. The 'contract' never arrives, the WhatsApp account goes silent after a final 'final transfer'.

Red flags

• Any payment required to secure the job — fees of any kind.
• Free email address (Gmail / Yahoo / Outlook) rather than a corporate domain.
• Contact only via WhatsApp / Telegram / Facebook.
• Refuses to give the vessel name or IMO before payment.
• Refuses to give the principal shipowner's name.
• Cannot supply a verifiable licence number from POEA/DMW (Philippines), DG Shipping (India), or the relevant national regulator.
• Asks for original passport / CDC by post / courier before contract.
• Asks you to transfer to a personal bank account.

How to verify

• Look up the licence in the official regulator's online directory. Cross-check the company's address on the website with the licence record.
• Search the principal shipowner on /companies and confirm they are real and currently operating the vessel type offered.
• Look up the vessel on /ships by IMO. Cross-check the named flag and owner.
• Phone the agency on the published business number — not a number the recruiter gave you.
• Ask the recruiter for the licence-registration number and the regulator they are licensed under. Real agencies answer this in one message.

What to do if you have already been hit

1. Stop all further payments immediately.
2. Save every message, transfer receipt, contract draft, and email. Take screenshots before the recruiter disappears.
3. Report to your national regulator (POEA/DMW, DG Shipping, etc.) and to the bank.
4. Report to ISWAN SeafarerHelp (+44 800 012 1004) and the nearest ITF inspector.
5. If your passport / CDC was sent, file a police report immediately.

Last verified 15 days ago