The Bureau of Fire Protection warns applicants to check its official website for notices of job vacancies

Claim: The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is accepting job applications through a link provided in a Facebook post.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post containing the claim has 10 shares, 34 comments, and 51 reactions as of writing. It was posted on June 7 in a public Facebook group named “PRC BOARD EXAMINATIONS AND UPDATES” with 306,500 members.

Bearing the official BFP logo, the post claims that the bureau is hiring K to 12 graduates. The supposed job ad specifies a height requirement and states that there is no age limit for applicants. The post also instructs interested applicants to fill out and submit a form through a link provided in the caption.

The facts: The supposed application link is fake and attempts to mislead applicants by using the BFP logo. 

The link redirects to a blog site with a fake job application form requesting applicants’ personal details such as full name, email address, and phone number. Providing sensitive personal information through these fake links may be exploited by scammers pretending to be credible entities, placing applicants at risk of falling victim to phishing attacks. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)

Unauthorized: On June 5, the BFP posted a warning flagging fake job posts using similar language. 

“The BFP does not support the sharing of unofficial information concerning its activities or programs, such as recruitment or promotion,” the post read.

The bureau urged the public to refer to its official social media pages for any recruitment inquiries. 

Job vacancies: Legitimate application or recruitment information can be found on the official BFP website. As of writing, the latest notice of vacancy was posted on June 4 and advertises for fire senior inspector (legal officer) positions.

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Job requirements: While the fake job ad did not mention the specific role, previous job notices specify that the BFP requires applicants for most positions to have a bachelor’s degree. According to the Civil Service Commission (CSC), a baccalaureate degree is also required for applicants to qualify for the Fire Officer Examination. The 2024 Fire Officer Examination date has already passed, with results set to be released later in July.

The fake job post also claims that applicants must be at least 5’0 and that there is no age limit. According to the CSC, applicants for the fire officer position must be between the ages of 21 to 35. Male applicants must be at least 5’2 in height while female applicants should be at least 5’0.

Previous fact checks: Rappler has debunked several Facebook posts containing fake job application links and erroneous application requirements:

For information on applying to join the BFP, check the official website for vacancies. – Quincy Reyes/Rappler.com

Quincy Reyes is a research volunteer at Rappler. He is a recent graduate from Fordham University having double-majored in journalism and film and television.

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