Beware of Au pair Scam

I would like to call an attention to all Au pair's and becoming Au pair's that there are numerous number of scam on the internet this days. I would like for all of you to be very careful of whom you are  dealing with.

I would like to share a scam story of a friend of mine and I would like to call this one as "Western Union Scam".

Here's how the story goes :

My friend was looking for a host family in the internet and had registered to some of Au pair sites on the internet and one day she receives a letter from one of a pretending host family on the web. just see the image below to see the description and this is just one of the letter that was sent to my friend. the sad thing is that my friend had already sent money for Php. 10, 000.00 Pesos before he was able to contact me to check if the letter was a scam or not.

click this link for better image : http://a.imageshack.us/img525/5978/scamletter.jpg

This is the sample letter from the pretending agency which is pretty obvious how the letter was created  is almost the same how the host family created the letter with wrong grammar, spelling, spacing, indention and etc...

Here is the letter part where agency ask for the money :

 

and here also  :

Note : Never ever send money to any agency or to a host family because to be an Au pair you don't need to send money to anyone because you can personally process all papers by yourself right through the embassy.

Host family never ask you to pay the half of the expenses but sometimes the host family ask you to pay for your own ticket towards the said country just to make sure that they will not be wasting their money when you arrives and left them after you arrive at the said country.

If you need any help to figure out if a host family is a fraud or not kindly contact me : 

almayaguirre@gmail.com

Au pair Experience

This is me and this is my Au Pair story in Denmark.. here's another link   : http://www.filipinamom.com/index.php/filipino-au-pairs-in-denmark-story-0239

Let me tell you a story about me being an Au pair in Denmark, In the Philippines before I have applied as Au pair, I was told by a close friend of mine that if I was interested to work in Denmark, she was not able mention what type of work it was and at that moment,  I was not so knowledgeable of what type of work I was dealing with, with me at that time hearing even just a word “abroad” is quite too far from a dream come true because thousands and thousands of Filipino graduates are striving hard and to find employment locally and abroad.

As I have heard from my friend telling me if I was interested working abroad, my mind was just instantly blown away and I have not wasted a seconds to reply “yes” I am very interested. After that I had started asking her what to do, what are the thing needed for me to qualify, I also told her “in a joking way” that I am very willing to sell anything or even my “underwear” if I had too LOL! just for me to go abroad, you should know the fact that even if you grow old working in a supermarket or any Shopping Mall in the Philippines the salary of an Au pair in Denmark or was it called “Allowance” at 2500 dkk quite more inviting.


according to http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi:

 

is much bigger than a salary of a company ranked Manager, well it really depends actually which company you serve as Manager. So then this good friend of mine had financed me everything from the start from gathering requirements expenses, visa fees, travel expenses and up to the time that she was also the one who bought me my ticket from Manila to Denmark not knowing that I was actually future dated setup to pay every single cents of the cost.

The only problem with the situation is that it cost me and her so much for I was not expecting it would reach up to more than a hundred thousand pesos and more of a total expenses. Anyway I was under an informal Au pair agency where she has also undergone before. let me tell you in a simple in a logical ways:

Applying as Au pair from the Philippines depends on your logic, inside contacts and strategy:
Travel Expenses: (from your local province or city up to Departing the country)

1. Domestic Flight Ticket from your local province before passing an application
2. Lodging Allowance: (if you don’t have any relatives living near the Embassy or Consulate)
3. Embassy Fee: (According to embassy) Php 6,000.00 at my time.
   
4. Domestic Flight Ticket returning to your local province after visa  application
5. Domestic Flight Ticket for having a visa stamp on your passport
6. Here comes the International Flight Ticket expenses
7. Not to mention Fees for Exiting the country and I call it "IMMIG FEE" L.O.L.
8. Before I forgot the Fees for the one who finds your host family or employer (very unlawful but some Au pair has no choice) some might end up paying their own International Flight Ticket from Manila to Copenhagen
   

Please take note: that it is very unlawful that someone will ask for a payment for finding your host family except if you had an agreement with an agency in which agreement is agreement as what we always say and in reality it really happens, It's like a commission for them that their foolish reason is that "they are the one who finds your host family" and some of them says that it is their responsibility of finding another one who will be replacing you after your contract had ended.
Well let me tell you that you can report them to the police for it is very unlawful for us, or face the truth since you made yourself an agreement but please never let it happen to you or to anyone, some people sell their properties and some sell all of their live stock and some had to sell their farm or even their "KARABAO" cow just for them just to afford for payment in going abroad but "SCAMMERS" are so nasty and please be aware always, and last thing you have to wait for your approval from the Danish Immigration in Denmark maybe mostly for 8 - 10 weeks of the most if your lucky.

After I had arrived in Denmark I was not aware that I will be staying out of my host family (another expenses) and paying for my own food (another expenses), I arrive January 17, 2007 and I lasted for ten months with my first family that means that I have been paying my own food for ten (10) months which was a very drastic experience for me, paying my apartment which was another very unforgettable moment for me. There was no problem with my first family actually but the problem is they have no spare room for their Au pair.

They were giving 210 dkk for a bus card and that’s it. Some of them says "hey be satisfied that I was lucky enough to go to Denmark" but what's the use of it's rule if we will not grab the opportunity. Well at that time my friend had been giving me some extra jobs (KOSKOS) for my spare time in the morning that had helped me in my worst daily expenses but it was not enough and that extra (Black Money) I was talking about was very unlawful and could get you in big trouble and be deported if caught by the local authorities on the spot. I had to change three (3) apartments in just a ten (10) months for the reason I was looking for a place where it’s cheaper, The first apartment had cost me 1200 dkk monthly that lasted only for three (3) months, my second apartment had cost me 1600 dkk monthly and the last apartment of mine had cost me 2000 dkk (this one is a whole house I have rented for they are friends of my first host family.

Then after all things that had happen I had realize that I was working hard but had earn nothing since every single kroner from my pocket goes directly to my expenses. Even my salary? I had to pay it for my rent, boy! I can tell you how sorry I was for me having a situation like that, and as I always said to my self I was supposed to be in abroad to uplift myself but unlucky me I was in pain unforgettable hard work, suffering the coldness of  weather just to squeeze out a little extra kroner and was like a little tadpole in the BIG OCEAN of misery.

So then a few months later I decided to find a new host family in where I could get my own room at least and I was able to found one. After I was settled with the agreement with my new host family I then talked to my first host family about the situation that there was no problem having them as my host family but the problem is of me living out of the family paying my own rent and food which is supposed to be their responsibility.

At first It was so hard for me to tell me my host family that I had to leave them but I was left with no choice and both parties agreed. I had wasted no time and transferred as soon as possible to my new host family and I was happy having my own room and privacy, no more apartment fees, food allowance from your sweat and no more “Black Money“. I had ended my contract last 26 of October 2008 and went home to my homeland Philippines.

Quick Tips:

For Au pairs, please if you have any problem regarding any situation either financially or personal with your host families. Talk to them politely about the problem, if they listen to you and understand you they will make a solution for the problem but if they will just do nothing and your salary is always delayed and etc…, waste no time find a new one which you feel comfortable to live with. If I could help about anything, please send me a mail via my email:

almayaguirre@gmail.com

or leave a comments to this post.

For Families, Please do not delay the salary of your Au pairs for they have a family depending on them either they are the one who pays for the tuition of their sibling’s or the bread winner of the family. Please be aware that your Au pairs are not the “murmuring type” neither do I for if we don’t like the way we are treated, we just stay quiet and find a new host family signed a contract before we tell you about the situation and of course we analyze first the situation for there are so many different types of problems faced by the Au pair and the families they are living with.

Au pairs always be informed, don’t be scammed, don’t pay for anyone who you think is not authorized for finding you a host family.
Well all for now and GOD Bless you all always,


ALMAY