| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | ATA members beware: fake translation job linked to fraud! Thread poster: Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
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| Thanks Tomás. Why naming names is avoided in cases like this | Mar 3, 2010 |
Hello Tomás,
Thanks for submitting the support request on this, as that is the right channel to request clarification regarding site rules or rules enforcement. As you have also posted here, I'll try to address this here as well.
I should also clarify that the actions you refer to-- temporarily hiding a post to request an edit-- were carried out here by site staff, not moderators.
The purpose of avoiding naming names in a case like this is to prevent possi... See more Hello Tomás,
Thanks for submitting the support request on this, as that is the right channel to request clarification regarding site rules or rules enforcement. As you have also posted here, I'll try to address this here as well.
I should also clarify that the actions you refer to-- temporarily hiding a post to request an edit-- were carried out here by site staff, not moderators.
The purpose of avoiding naming names in a case like this is to prevent possible issues with libel, since the names used in these cases are not always made-up and can be the names of actual, innocent, persons. In general the messages themselves are sufficient to warn other translators.
In this instance, I agree that the wording of forum rule 8 is confusing when applied here. I will see what can be done to better clarify this in the future.
Best regards,
Jared ▲ Collapse
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Jared wrote:
The purpose of avoiding naming names in a case like this is to prevent possible issues with libel, since the names used in these cases are not always made-up and can be the names of actual, innocent, persons. In general the messages themselves are sufficient to warn other translators.
In this instance, I agree that the wording of forum rule 8 is confusing when applied here. I will see what can be done to better clarify this in the future.
Thanks a lot Jared. Yes, this makes perfect sense. And indeed I reckon rule 8 could be reworded a little bit to cover situations like these.
| | | | | Got the same... | Mar 12, 2010 |
Hi,
I received the same e-mail and almost fell for it... It sounded weird, and I am glad I researched the name of the sender on Google and I found your posting!
How do you suggest I receive payment if not by check... paypal?
All the best,
Beto Hale
USA
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote: Dear colleagues and friends: I have taken the liberty to copy a message a just received from a colleague in the ATA Spanish Division about a person who asks for a quotation, sends a check for a much higher amount and then uses you to wash money asking you to return the amount.... not the check. I happen to be one of the people the fake outsourcer got in touch with, and this person asked me for my address. I had replied with my address but stating that we don't accept checks as the payment method. If I receive the check, I will destroy it immediately. The message below is the warning message I got from this ATA colleague: Hello all:
I am writing to warn you about a possible scam/fraud email that has been received by a lot of the members of the ATA. If you receive an email with any of the following requests (or a variation) DO NOT REPLY and DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY OF YOUR INFORMATION.
Most of us know about these scams, but for the benefit of those who are not familiar, the fraud scheme works something like this:
The 'fake' client presents a seemingly attractive and lucrative work offer and asks for your price. Then they will send you a check and ask you to deposit it. Right after that they will contact you with an urgent cancellation request saying you should keep a nice amount of the money 'for your inconvenience' and send them back the rest of the money inmediately in a cashier's check (and they are very adamant about receiving their money right away). People who comply with that request soon find that the 'check' was actually a fraudulent check with no funds and that they were in fact scammed for the amount of cash they sent.
These are some examples of the actual emails received yesterday by our colleagues. As you can see, the only difference is the name:
Hello My name is Charles XXXXX, I am presently in the UK now for some
> > conference
> > and by the 20th of March, I will need to talk to some section of Spanish
> > Speakers.
> > I will want you to help convert my english power point slide to spanish for
> > the purpose
> > of my spanish speakers. I will like to know how much it would cost to
> > convert the 17-20 page
> > power point document and I will like to have the name and address you would
> > want my associate
> > to mail the payment to. Lastly, the duration of the work.
"Hello My name is Randy XXXXX, I am presently in the UK now for some conference and by the 20th of March, I will need to talk to some section of Spanish Speakers. I will want you to help convert my english power point slide to spanish for the purpose of my spanish speakers. I will like to know how much it would cost to conver the 17 page power point document and I will like to have the name and address you would want my associate to mail the payment to. Lastly, the duration of the work."
I hope this serves as a warning for those of you who are contacted by this "person"! [Edited at 2010-02-25 18:59 GMT]
| | | | Alina Weidell 
United States
Local time: 14:54
Romanian to English
+ ...
| I received the same request | Mar 12, 2010 |
I received the same request from a different translation website and this forum helped me to identify it as fraud. At the time I received the message the warnings were not posted on this website or the other.
He wanted to pay with Cashier's check or Money order which made me suspicious as well as bad spelling for Bucharest.
Here is the message:
Hello,
My name is Hanks XXXXX from Georgia but presently on an official assignment in Buracest,Rom... See more I received the same request from a different translation website and this forum helped me to identify it as fraud. At the time I received the message the warnings were not posted on this website or the other.
He wanted to pay with Cashier's check or Money order which made me suspicious as well as bad spelling for Bucharest.
Here is the message:
Hello,
My name is Hanks XXXXX from Georgia but presently on an official assignment in Buracest,Romania.I will need your service to translate a write-up for me.I actually need to make a presentation to some group of romanian speaking people abroad and I will be provided with a translator in the country where I have to present it,so i will need you to help me translate the paper to romanian,so each participants can have a copy in romanian language and they can follow through. Let me know your rate for a total of about 22 pages presentation.
Thank you. ▲ Collapse
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Alex Lago
Spain
Local time: 21:54
English to Spanish
+ ...
| I also received and answered saying the had to pay me in advance with Paypal | Mar 27, 2010 |
I also received this however I was not aware of it was a scam, still as I applied my normal procedure for first time clients I could not have been scammed.
Whenever I receive a request from a new client I ask for a 50% advance payment to be made via Paypal, I do not start the job until I have received the payment. The remaining 50% to be paid upon delivery of job.
So I could in theory run the risk of not getting paid 50%, but I have to say this has never happened yet, t... See more I also received this however I was not aware of it was a scam, still as I applied my normal procedure for first time clients I could not have been scammed.
Whenever I receive a request from a new client I ask for a 50% advance payment to be made via Paypal, I do not start the job until I have received the payment. The remaining 50% to be paid upon delivery of job.
So I could in theory run the risk of not getting paid 50%, but I have to say this has never happened yet, though I have lost some clients that did not want to pay the advance, too bad for them is what I say, they dont know what they are missing.
I never accept payment by check for the simple reason that in Spain even a foreign cashiers check can take up to 45 days to clear. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Katrin Bosse (X)
Germany
Local time: 21:54
Dutch to German
+ ...
| Very good rule! | Apr 2, 2010 |
Hi Alex,
thanks for this excellent suggestion! I will definitely apply it from now on because I am in the middle of a payment conflict with a first time customer. I billed him in dec. 09 and still have not received payment after repeatedly emailing him! I already expect him to "browse" the field each time for "fresh" translators to scam them...
Luckily for me, I have been able to avoid non-payers due to my established contacts with long-time clients until now, but I wh... See more Hi Alex,
thanks for this excellent suggestion! I will definitely apply it from now on because I am in the middle of a payment conflict with a first time customer. I billed him in dec. 09 and still have not received payment after repeatedly emailing him! I already expect him to "browse" the field each time for "fresh" translators to scam them...
Luckily for me, I have been able to avoid non-payers due to my established contacts with long-time clients until now, but I what I hear from colleagues, payment fraud is on the rise lately.
Katrin
Alex Lago wrote:
I also received this however I was not aware of it was a scam, still as I applied my normal procedure for first time clients I could not have been scammed.
Whenever I receive a request from a new client I ask for a 50% advance payment to be made via Paypal, I do not start the job until I have received the payment. The remaining 50% to be paid upon delivery of job.
So I could in theory run the risk of not getting paid 50%, but I have to say this has never happened yet, though I have lost some clients that did not want to pay the advance, too bad for them is what I say, they dont know what they are missing.
I never accept payment by check for the simple reason that in Spain even a foreign cashiers check can take up to 45 days to clear. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Wiki page started on this subject | Jun 14, 2010 |
A ProZ.com Wiki articles was started on the issue of Detecting and reacting to false job offers and other scams.
You are welcome and encouraged to add to this article to create a resource that will help translators in this subject area.
Kind regards,
Enrique
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