An employment agent who took money from job hunters but failed to find them
any work has been banned from operating for 10 years – the maximum possible
prohibition period.
Adrian Michael Farmer, who ran three internet-based recruitment agencies,
attracted job hunters with promises of opportunities for work overseas and on
cruise ships. Recruits were told they had to pay a membership fee to receive
details of the jobs, but as soon as they paid up, Farmer stopped all contact.
The DTI’s Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate took action following
complaints from people who had lost money without finding any work.
The secretary of state for trade and industry made an application to ban
Farmer under Section 3A of the Employment Agencies Act 1973.
Under the Act, employment tribunals may prohibit individuals, companies or
partnerships, from carrying on an employment agency or an employment business
for a period of up to 10 years.
Employment minister Gerry Sutcliffe said: "The DTI will come down hard
on any agency that flouts the law. This maximum 10 year ban serves as a clear
message to rogue employment agents that they won’t get away with exploiting
workers."
Farmer’s internet-based companies operated from premises near Aberystwyth
and Carmarthen in Wales. They traded as the Overseas Recruitment Services
Bureau, Recruitment Services International and Amtrak International Services.
