Elected officials and immigrant rights
groups urge job seekers to be wary of employment scams.
A protest** was held in Jackson
Heights on Friday to stop unlicensed employment agencies from scamming
unemployed workers.
The group says the agencies target vulnerable
communities, such as immigrants and young adults.
Queens Assemblyman José Peralta is proposing
legislation to discourage the practice, including increasing fines for
a violation.
"If anyone thinks that they’re gonna
bypass this in terms of the cost of doing business, they should really
think again," said Peralta. "We need to ensure that once these
organizations are closed, they don’t simply just open up across the
street."
Peralta adds that although his office
has received numerous complaints, the city’s Consumer Affairs office
has not.
He is urging those who think they may
have been a victim of a scam to contact the city’s hotline at 311.
**Make the Road New York organized
the protest, part of its continuing campaign against labor abuses directed
at immigrant workers.