Minister for Employment, Jone Usamate is urging people to first check with his Ministry about employment agencies who are recruiting Fijians to work overseas.
He says these organisations have to be registered with them in order to recruit people.
While speaking in Parliament today, Usamate says people are urged not to waste their hard-earned cash by paying bogus employment agencies who claim to arrange employment overseas.
He says some agencies get tourist visas and organize people to go and work overseas.
Usamate says his Ministry is currently conducting investigations with police and other relevant agencies to ensure these bogus agencies are brought before the employment relations tribunal for illegal acts and operations
According to Usamate, the Ministry of Employment provides authorisation to companies who intend to operate an employment agency.
For any company to obtain the authorisation, they have to pay a bond of $20,000 to the Ministry of Employment together with a $1,000 registration fee.
Usamate says this bond will be utilised if something goes wrong with workers offshore and if they have to bring them back.
He says any company that operates without this authorisation commits an offence and is liable to a fine or imprisonment upon conviction.
Since 2008, the Ministry of Employment has registered nine employment agencies.
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