Minister Warns Jamaicans Against Fake Overseas Jobs Used in Human Trafficking

Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security and Peace, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, is urging Jamaicans to exercise caution when responding to overseas employment offers, warning that traffickers are using fake job opportunities to lure victims into criminal activities.

Cuthbert-Flynn made the call during a recent World Day Against Trafficking in Persons town hall at Emancipation Park in St Andrew, where she highlighted the growing use of online scams to target people seeking employment abroad.

She said victims are often enticed overseas with fraudulent job offers before having their travel documents confiscated and being forced to participate in illegal activities.

According to Cuthbert-Flynn, victims may face threats, intimidation, violence and debt bondage, making them victims of trafficking rather than willing participants in criminal enterprises.

Citing estimates from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), she said more than 300,000 people are currently being held in scam centres across Southeast Asia after being trafficked from nearly 80 countries.

The minister urged Jamaicans to verify employment offers, use authorised recruitment channels and remain alert to fraudulent advertisements and deceptive online recruiters.

She pointed to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Overseas Employment Programme as one legitimate avenue for Jamaicans seeking work overseas.

More than 15,000 Jamaicans participated in the programme last year, representing an increase of almost five per cent over 2024.

Cuthbert-Flynn said Jamaica’s expanding overseas employment opportunities have generated significant economic benefits and must be protected from criminal exploitation.

She stressed that combating human trafficking requires a whole-of-society approach involving government agencies, law enforcement, labour authorities, technology companies, employers, communities and individual citizens.

Citizens, she said, must learn to recognise the warning signs of trafficking, report suspicious activity and support survivors.

She also reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable people and dismantling criminal networks involved in trafficking.

The minister highlighted the role of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), which investigates human trafficking as part of its work against organised and cyber-enabled crime.

She said collaboration with local and international partners has strengthened Jamaica’s ability to disrupt trafficking networks and protect victims.

Cuthbert-Flynn also cited data from the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ) 2025, which showed that authorities conducted 79 trafficking investigations last year.

Those investigations resulted in nine alleged traffickers being arrested and charged, while 12 cases were initiated or advanced through the courts.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons was observed under the theme, ‘Trapped Behind Scam: Exposing and Disrupting Human Trafficking’, highlighting the evolving nature of human trafficking and the urgent need for greater public awareness.