Labour officials have warned Thai men against falling prey to job brokers offering illegal work, including as masseurs, in Qatar, which can result in their working in illicit sex services.
The warning was raised after the Department of Employment was informed by the Thai embassy in Doha of dubious job ads on a Facebook page, named "Chaichan", which encouraged Thai men to work as masseurs under tourist visas.
This breaks the law in Qatar as visa-holders are not visiting the country for tourism purposes, deputy permanent secretary for labour Waranon Pitiwan said yesterday.
The brokers' tricks, which employ some features of the popular social network site to gain the trust of netizens, worries Mr Waranon as he is handling domestic and international employment for Thais in his capacity as acting chief of the department.
He said if people go to work in Doha without proper permission, they will face a string of problems including being potentially prohibited from leaving Qatar as the country has a strict law where foreign workers can travel abroad only if they get permission from their employers.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this law can make it difficult to offer help to Thais lured into working there.
"So don't believe these brokers," Mr Waranon said, alerting people to one trick in which a photo of a plane ticket supposedly belonging to a prospective worker preparing to travel to Qatar was posted on a Facebook page to make the illegal job opportunity look reliable.
The victims may eventually lose their money and face many risks at work.
The illegal jobs are often found among foreign masseurs at businesses offering the service to men, Mr Waranon said.
If people suspect they are being fooled into working abroad, they should inform labour officials. They can also reach officials on the 1694 hotline.
Thailand and Qatar have signed an agreement on employment, so if anyone wants to work there, they have to follow the steps mentioned in the pact, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Without a legal work contract, employers in Qatar will not help workers obtain visas or residency permits, the ministry said.