Scammer using Perenco Oil and Gas to victimize Filipinos

A man who introduced himself as “Mark Jarvis” has been using Perenco Oil and Gas’s British company to scam Filipinos wanting to work in the United Kingdom.

Several individuals received an email from certain Mark Jarvis, who claimed he was the Human Resource Department of Perenco Oil and Gas.

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The email says they allegedly found the applicant’s CV online and found that their experience and educational qualifications meet the company’s needs.

“Therefore, we have decided to proceed further with you as one of Perenco’s potential foreign employee, wherein, we hereby attach the job interview form. The benefits and terms of a possible contract will be discussed if the answers you give in the interview form satisfies our requirement,” the email said.

Also attached in the email is a list of available job positions the applicant could choose from and a form with interview questions.

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They instruct the applicant to accomplish the form and send it back with their signature.

The scammer would then reply, saying the applicant should wait to be shortlisted. Then, after a few days, they would email again saying you got accepted for the job in Perenco Oil and Gas.

Attached with the acceptance email is the applicant’s contract. The contract is elaborate and convincing as it details the work hours, the benefits, vacation schedule, etc.

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They offer a salary of GBP 2,050.00 or around P 140,000. They also said the housing is free for a year and the food. The applicant can also bring their family to the UK, and the company will pay for everything.

perenco oil and gas scam

The applicant will be instructed to email the signed contract back and to a certain Marc Owen from UK Visas and Immigration. Owen is currently Director for Visas and Citizenship within UK Visas and Immigration, so they are also using his name to fraud people.

“Marc Owen” then would email back and instruct to send:

  • Scanned copy of the completely filled Residence Work Permit application forms
  • Scanned copy of the Visa Application Form
  • Scanned copy of your international passport or other means of identification
  • Scanned copy of two(2) passport sized photograph

“Your documents shall be processed here in the UK on your behalf by our office. The processing of your travelling document will take about 3-6 weeks to be done and ready for use, during which all formal documentation process and approval will be carried out,” the email said.

“Applicants are usually advised to send the duly filled forms (UK Resident Work Permit and UK Visa application form)as soon as possible in order to make the application process faster and also to resume on the said resumption date in his/her contract letter. If you are unsure about filling a detail in any particular field, you can leave it blank. We shall contact you back if we find it necessary,” it added.

Scammer using Perenco Oil and Gas to victimize Filipinos

PLN has contacted the British Embassy in the Philippines concerning the incident.

“We receive many such emails regarding offers of UK employment. Most are attempted fraud,” they said.

The British Embassy also provided tips to avoid falling to such scam:

  • There are many attempted frauds at present, often by email, targeting Filipino citizens, faking a UK connection. Some of these apparently UK-based scams are in fact based overseas, but use forwarding addresses in the UK, international email addresses and UK mobile phone numbers. Although scams may appear to come from the UK, the perpetrators are actually based elsewhere.
  • Most offers sent unsolicited are fraudulent.
  • Any person or company who asks for bank account details online or by phone are usually fraudsters.
  • Any offer of cash – released in exchange for cash or bank account details – is likely to be fraudulent.
  • Genuine UK companies are registered and can be checked on www.companieshouse.gov.uk
  • Anyone approached about a ‘UK’ job should phone the ‘company’ in the UK
  • Genuine UK companies would not give a mobile telephone number for contact details
  • UK company addresses can be checked on www.companiesintheuk.co.uk
  • Most genuine UK companies would not use a “hotmail or yahoo” email account
  • The British Government does not send unsolicited emails with job offers, either directly or through agents. Any such approach is therefore from a fraudster. Government vacancies are advertised on our official websites, in the UK on www.civilservice.gov.uk.
  • Beware – some “job scams” are very sophisticated. Genuine UK company web-sites may be detailed within the scam, but the contact email details will be false. They may detail the genuine company name, but at the wrong address – for example: genuine website – www.gov.uk/visas-immigration but false contact details: ukvisas@hotmail.co.uk
  • Beware – some job scams fraudulently use the names and job titles of genuine embassy staff. A genuine email from an official member of staff will always be from our official service provider – @fco.gov.uk It would never be from a “hotmail or yahoo” type email account.
  • Be prepared to undertake some general research in to UK jobs, terms & conditions of employment. Think about the credibility of any job offer that you have received. For example, a monthly salary of £4,000, plus benefits of free car at your disposal, free health insurance, free accommodation, free food, free flights for self & family members, plus generous annual leave entitlements, etc is simply not credible. UK employers simply do not offer these terms and conditions
  • Think about your “recruitment procedure”. Very few genuine UK companies would offer a job by email. Genuine companies have a rigorous selection procedure, which would normally involve a face-to-face interview.
  • How were you contacted by the UK company? If you happened to meet an employee in an internet chat-room, who subsequently offered you employment, then this is very likely to be a fraudulent offer.

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