Fraud charges filed vs Italian recruiters

Two Filipino event coordinators have asked the Department of Justice (DoJ)-Office of the City Prosecutor in Tagaytay City, Cavite, to investigate and file criminal charges for illegal recruitment and estafa against an Italian national and his alleged cohorts.

Complainants Sheryl Lopez and Jhon Michael Umali said the respondents offered them jobs in Singapore with a monthly salary of SGD 2,000 (over P90,000) during an event they organized in Tagaytay City in December 2024. The recruiters presented themselves as personnel of Tamber International Placement Agency.

The victims claimed they were convinced to pay P100,000 each for visa processing and other requirements. They attended a five-day online orientation conducted by Italian national Adel En Nouri and Singaporean Narwani Ricky Ravin. Other respondents, Singaporeans Prerna Giani and Nisha Deepak Khemlani, allegedly pressured them to sign blank employment forms, which they refused.

Suspecting foul play, Lopez and Umali checked with the Department of Migrant Workers, which confirmed that Tamber International Placement Agency was not licensed to recruit overseas workers. This led to the filing of the complaint.

The victims also sought to have the respondents apprehended, but the office was closed, and the suspects could not be located.

This is not the first case involving Nouri and Ravin. A similar complaint was filed by two Filipino women before the DoJ in Santo Tomas City, Batangas, alleging they were defrauded of P120,000 each for supposed caregiver deployments in Canada and the UAE.