Recruitment scams target exactly the people who most want to work abroad. The rule that protects you is simple: a real job never asks you to pay to get it.

The one rule: the employer pays, not you

Under international ethical-recruitment standards (the ILO “Employer Pays” principle), workers should never pay recruitment fees. Official programmes such as Australia’s PALM scheme and the Pacific Engagement Visa are deliberately low-cost, and you register through government channels — not through a private “agent” charging hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Warning signs of a scam

• You are asked to pay an upfront fee for a “guaranteed” job, visa or ballot place.
• A “fixer” promises to skip the queue or guarantee selection. Nobody can.
• You are told to pay to a personal bank account or by mobile transfer.
• You are asked to hand over your passport to keep it “safe”.
• The offer arrives by WhatsApp from a number you cannot verify, with pressure to decide today.
• The salary sounds far too high, and the paperwork looks copied.

How to protect yourself

• Check every overseas programme against the official government source — in Timor-Leste that is SEFOPE, the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training and Employment.
• Never pay a fixer. Never send money to get a job.
• Keep your passport. A real employer or agency never needs to hold it.
• Take your time. Real programmes have real deadlines, not “pay in the next hour”.

Servisu of Timor lists overseas pathways as information and points you to the official channel. We never sell visas and never promise placements — and no genuine partner of ours will ever ask a worker for a fee.