Social-media recruitment warning
Why Facebook / Instagram / TikTok groups are now the highest-volume scam channel.
What it looks like
Posts in seafarer Facebook groups offering 'urgent vacancies' with generic offer cards, often impersonating real recruiters.
Red flags
- DMs that move quickly off-platform to WhatsApp / Telegram.
- Pages with low followers but high post frequency.
- Stolen real-recruiter photos used as profile picture.
- Comments from 'previous seafarers' that look templated.
How to verify
- Cross-check the recruiter on the regulator's licence directory.
- Search the recruiter's photo with reverse-image search.
- Report scam posts to the group moderator and to the platform.
Related
Primary sources
- ITF — Job scams targeting seafarers site unreachable
Medium confidence
Last verified