| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | Contacted by a non-registered person -- is this a scam or not? Thread poster: Kathleen Kownacki
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Kathleen Kownacki
United States
Local time: 23:23
Member (2018)
French to English
+ ...
Hi!
I was contacted this morning with an email from Alice Peters via ProZ.com.
This was her first message:
"You have been sent a message via ProZ.com.
Author: Alice Peters
[NOTE: The author is not a registered ProZ.com user or was not logged in when sending this message.]
Author's IP address: 5.62.41.35
Message type: Other
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Good day, how are you doing today? Are you available for a
translation French int... See more Hi!
I was contacted this morning with an email from Alice Peters via ProZ.com.
This was her first message:
"You have been sent a message via ProZ.com.
Author: Alice Peters
[NOTE: The author is not a registered ProZ.com user or was not logged in when sending this message.]
Author's IP address: 5.62.41.35
Message type: Other
-----------
Good day, how are you doing today? Are you available for a
translation French into English .
Let me know if you are interested so as to send you more
about the project.
Regards
Alice"
I responded to [email protected], asking about the project.
This was her reply:
"Thanks for your response,i am glad you are interested in handling this project. However, I will require your service to translate the attached the document. In the mean time, could you also confirm your charges per page, per source word or for the entire translation? The deadline for this Project is 1 month starting from October 25,2018.
What would be your preferred mode of payment? Though I'm proposing a certified bank draft,a cashier check or bank certified check. Please do not hesitate to confirm if this is okay with you? I look forward to reading from you soon.
Regards
Alice
Austin,TX"
I gave my quote for the 12838 words and told her I prefer PayPal and that I'd like to speak to her on the phone to talk about this. I also mentioned that although she signed from Austin, TX, her IP through ProZ.com showed up as a location in Europe.
Is this person or this IP address known to anyone here on ProZ?
This seems somewhat strange, but maybe it is okay. Thanks for your help with this. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | certified bank draft,a cashier check or bank certified check = scam more often than not | Oct 17, 2018 |
Sounds like a scam.
| | | | Thayenga 
Germany
Local time: 05:23
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| Why shy personal contact? | Oct 17, 2018 |
So she sent you the file, but apparently is not interested in discussing the project with you over the phone.
Chances are that, should you reply again, she will explain that she can only pay by some type of check, of course, after having accepted your rate, even if that rate was clearly far above industry standards.
That the IP address doesn't match her location might be due to her working as a remove PM for a company in Austin. And that she's using a gmail address is, ... See more So she sent you the file, but apparently is not interested in discussing the project with you over the phone.
Chances are that, should you reply again, she will explain that she can only pay by some type of check, of course, after having accepted your rate, even if that rate was clearly far above industry standards.
That the IP address doesn't match her location might be due to her working as a remove PM for a company in Austin. And that she's using a gmail address is, by itself, not a sure sign for a scam. But the numbers after her name...are. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kathleen Kownacki
United States
Local time: 23:23
Member (2018)
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Pay by bank from unknown = problem, I was thinking | Oct 17, 2018 |
That's exactly what I was thinking.
I will see if I get any reply and if we end up talking.
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DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
| a big red flag | Oct 17, 2018 |
It makes me wonder why a reliable client refrained from logging in or didn't care to register, so his identity would be more trustworthy...NOTE: The author is not a registered ProZ.com user or was not logged in when sending this message Frankly, I can't even imagine what are those fancy unlogged and unregistered senders
| | | | | Reeks of scam | Oct 17, 2018 |
To me, it is a canonical no-go!
I would only go ahead if:
- This person gives you full contact details and details about her business
- You can confirm her identity by other means (e.g. calling her company's switchboard or finding her or her business in the yellow pages)
- Sent you part of the money over Paypal...
-... and no kind of check, draft, or paper-based payment method is involved.
Looks like the typical false check scam.
| | | | | | Lian Pang
Netherlands
Local time: 05:23
Member (2018)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| A quick IP check | Oct 17, 2018 |
I ran a quick IP check and here is the result:
IP Address: 5.62.41.35
Geolocation: DE (Germany), 05, Hessen, 60313 Frankfurt Am Main
Then google map shows that this is a hair salon.
Plus the gmail domain and the proposal to use certified bank draft.
Id be surprised that this is not a scam
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| Not great English | Oct 17, 2018 |
I would expect better English writing skills from someone with an American-sounding name based in Texas, the whole look of it is very iffy. I have noticed in the past that "I will require/want/need" and "i" (lower case) are very typical of scam emails.
[Edited at 2018-10-17 15:52 GMT]
| | | | Kathleen Kownacki
United States
Local time: 23:23
Member (2018)
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Yes, I agree with all of you, particularly the English being weird.
It hasn't been long since my second response talking about PayPal and speaking on the phone. I suspect I will not hear anything or it will follow tactics for an overpayment scam. I will be ignoring it unless she comes back with something very legitimate somehow, and I'll let you know how that goes if it goes anywhere at all.
| | | | Thomas Pfann
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:23
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
| All the hallmarks | Oct 17, 2018 |
Peter Shortall wrote:
I have noticed in the past that "I will require/want/need" and "i" (lower case) are very typical of scam emails.
...as is the dodgy punctuation (missing and/or unnecessary spaces around punctuation).
End all contact and don't take this any further.
| | | | Elisa Butler
United States
Local time: 23:23
French to English
| I was also contacted by Alice | Oct 17, 2018 |
Hello group and thank you for this thread! I was also contacted by her and responded back last night asking for more information. This morning she sent me the 45-page document asking about payment (certified bank draft, a cashier check or bank certified check). After reading your comments, I wrote this back to her 10 minutes ago:
"Hello Alice,
Thank you for your reply and document. Is the deadline "starting from October 25, 2018" or ending? If it is due to be del... See more Hello group and thank you for this thread! I was also contacted by her and responded back last night asking for more information. This morning she sent me the 45-page document asking about payment (certified bank draft, a cashier check or bank certified check). After reading your comments, I wrote this back to her 10 minutes ago:
"Hello Alice,
Thank you for your reply and document. Is the deadline "starting from October 25, 2018" or ending? If it is due to be delivered on Oct 25, what is the ending project time of day?
I charge $0.12 per source word and payable via PayPal with 25% upfront, 25% in the middle, 50% after delivery.
I'd also greatly enjoy learning more about your company/organization and please feel free to contact me via skype or telephone if you have any questions or concerns.
Looking forward to hearing from you."
And immediately got this back: "I can only make payment with bank certified check or cashier check and i am sure the payment will clear before the translation" with no salutation or closing. Looks like I dodged a bullet thanks to this group! ▲ Collapse
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Kathleen Kownacki
United States
Local time: 23:23
Member (2018)
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
That's wonderful to hear, Elisa, that this ended up helping you too!
I think we have both dodged a bullet.
| | | | Natalie
Poland
Local time: 05:23
Member (2002)
English to Russian
+ ...
MODERATOR SITE LOCALIZER | It was a Nigerian scammer | Oct 17, 2018 |
Kathleen Kownacki wrote:
I was contacted this morning with an email from Alice Peters via ProZ.com.
...
Author's IP address: 5.62.41.35
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Is this person or this IP address known to anyone here on ProZ?
Hi Kathleen,
Many thanks for posting the IP - this "Alice" was a Nigerian scammer located in Lagos. He keeps around since a few days and uses different IPs. As soon he is located he is immediately blocked, but next day he is around again with a different IP.
Please be VERY careful with answering messages from not logged-in users.
Natalia
| | | | | Got exactly the same email - reeks of a scam | Oct 17, 2018 |
I got exactly the same email yesterday and was immediately suspicious that it was a scam from the broken English, what looked like a stolen name, no response to questions about "herself" or the project, overly long project time frame, and the refusal to pay through PayPal. The focus was entirely on the payment method and not on the project itself. I declined and informed the person that it sounded too much like a scam.
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Contacted by a non-registered person -- is this a scam or not? | Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
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