There is an increasing number of recruitment frauds targeting people wanting to work in the cruise industry, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) cruise ship task force chair Johan Oyen has warned.
Scammers are using different tactics to try and part seafarers and potential seafarers from their savings, according to Oyen.
One of the most common is through websites that seem legitimate. The fraudsters set up their own internet address (often using a URL that looks genuine), and typically steal a genuine cruise line logo and name (though it may be misspelt).
The most recent scams have involved fake jobs supposedly on offer from cruise lines located in South Africa and Australia.
The ITF urges anyone who is looking for a job on a cruise ships to be aware of these fraudulent sites and advertisements and to always check with the real companies if the site is legitimate. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is, says ITF.
Almost all real cruise lines have information related to employment opportunities and vacancies posted on their websites, with the relevant information linked from the front page under the heading Careers.
The safest way to avoid scammers is to go directly to the companies’ websites.
Any website or advertisement guaranteeing a job on board but requiring the payment of a fee is a scam since the International Labour Organization (ILO), through the Maritime Labour Convention, clearly states that seafarers should not have to pay any agency fees to obtain employment.
This goes for all positions, since every person working on board a cruise ship is a seafarer regardless of whether they work in the deck and engine or the hotel and catering departments.
Anyone who has paid any agency fees, or know about someone who has, should contact ITF.