Have an abroad client ever paid you with a certified bank cheque/check? Thread poster: Helena Cuñado
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Hello!
I am very worried because a new client from the USA has told me that he can only pay me with a certified bank check, but I am afraid that if his bank has no branches in my country (Spain) I will not be able to charge it. Has it ever happened to you? Is it normal? It is the first time I hear about this payment method for abroad translations. My client already knows that I live in Spain.
Thank you very much for your attention ... See more Hello!
I am very worried because a new client from the USA has told me that he can only pay me with a certified bank check, but I am afraid that if his bank has no branches in my country (Spain) I will not be able to charge it. Has it ever happened to you? Is it normal? It is the first time I hear about this payment method for abroad translations. My client already knows that I live in Spain.
Thank you very much for your attention ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I would be suspicious | Sep 21, 2010 |
The only time someone tried to pay me with a certified bank cheque it was a fake. Lots of internet scams operate using these fake cheques.
| | | | Edward Vreeburg 
Netherlands
Local time: 23:58
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
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| had cheque payments from the US before.. | Sep 21, 2010 |
Hi Helena,
I received cheque payments from US (and a few other countries) before, (before the "invention"of Paypal, moneybrokers, or even Western Union...
It takes forever in the mail, and a couple of weeks even for your bank to cash these kind of cheques, it's not a very convenient payment method.. ( plus it involves some additional charges by your bank),... but not all clients are scammers...
In the end I had the cheques send to a relative in the US for faster p... See more Hi Helena,
I received cheque payments from US (and a few other countries) before, (before the "invention"of Paypal, moneybrokers, or even Western Union...
It takes forever in the mail, and a couple of weeks even for your bank to cash these kind of cheques, it's not a very convenient payment method.. ( plus it involves some additional charges by your bank),... but not all clients are scammers...
In the end I had the cheques send to a relative in the US for faster processing..
(so I had some pocket money everytime I visited them)...
Western Union might be an option if the client does not want to invest in Paypal or moneybrokers, but there is a hefty fee to pay, but at least you'll get the money quickly....
Ed ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Rawlins
Spain
Local time: 23:58
Spanish to English
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| Be very careful | Sep 21, 2010 |
For Spanish residents, a cheque from the US or Canada is an extraordinarily slow and expensive method of payment. I imagine it is similarly awkward for all European residents. It is also the preferred method of 'payment' by fraudsters and abusers.
You may find that your bank credits the cheque immediately in your account. However, if the cheque later bounces you will also be hit by punitive bank charges.
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| Experience with checks | Sep 21, 2010 |
I have a regular client from the US that pays me by check. I recieve it by post around 35-45 days after job delivery. I also live in Spain and I cash the check very easily into my Bancaja account. The bank does the conversion into euros and retains a little interest for the transaction. And that´s it.
There has been no problem so far. I trust the client and this is not the case of fraudulent checks. The bank leaves the amount in retention for certain days, then it becomes available for wi... See more I have a regular client from the US that pays me by check. I recieve it by post around 35-45 days after job delivery. I also live in Spain and I cash the check very easily into my Bancaja account. The bank does the conversion into euros and retains a little interest for the transaction. And that´s it.
There has been no problem so far. I trust the client and this is not the case of fraudulent checks. The bank leaves the amount in retention for certain days, then it becomes available for withdrawal.
In many cases this results to be a cheaper method than Paypal, Moneygram, WU etc. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I also have a client who prefers to pay by cheque... | Sep 21, 2010 |
Anahit Simonyan wrote:
I have a regular client from the US that pays me by check. I recieve it by post around 35-45 days after job delivery. I also live in Spain and I cash the check very easily into my Bancaja account. The bank does the conversion into euros and retains a little interest for the transaction. And that´s it.
There has been no problem so far. I trust the client and this is not the case of fraudulent checks. The bank leaves the amount in retention for certain days, then it becomes available for withdrawal.
In many cases this results to be a cheaper method than Paypal, Moneygram, WU etc.
And instead of this method I asked them to maek the payment via bank transfer instead. They charge me $20 for them to make this transaction. They charge $10 to transfer money by PayPal and then I have to pay commission to PayPal upon receiving the money. I also have a Bancaja account and never thought to check whether it would be straightforward to cash a US cheque because my bank in the UK won't cash a foreign currency cheque. Had I known, perhaps it is the cheaper option after all to receive a cheque!
P.S. it's not my bank that charges to receive the bank transfer, it's the agency themselves who insist on charging you for the 'extra time it takes them'.
| | | | Helena Cuñado
Germany
Local time: 23:58
English to Spanish
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TOPIC STARTER
Thank you very much for all your answers! I have found them very helpful.
The client told me to send the translation once I have received the cheque, so I hope that it will not be a fraud. Anyway, I didn't know that it would take so long, so I guess I must be patient. The client seems quiet nice and professional and has given me full details about him and his firma, so I hope everything goes well.
Thanks to all of you once again for taking the time to help me ... See more Thank you very much for all your answers! I have found them very helpful.
The client told me to send the translation once I have received the cheque, so I hope that it will not be a fraud. Anyway, I didn't know that it would take so long, so I guess I must be patient. The client seems quiet nice and professional and has given me full details about him and his firma, so I hope everything goes well.
Thanks to all of you once again for taking the time to help me ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 17:58
Member (2008)
French to English
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| Accepting cheques | Sep 21, 2010 |
Many US companies are not set up to pay any other way than by cheque. I always accept cheques from my US, Canadian and European clients, and have never had a problem. I won't accept cheques from anywhere else, though, due to problems with fraud.
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| dud cheque scam | Sep 22, 2010 |
Very pleased Helena to hear that your client is authentic, and from what others have said here about all their American clients who can only pay with cheques, it seems alright for you to go ahead.
I must warn others though that you story contains two details typical of the cheque scam: the fact that you will get paid with a "certified" cheque and secondly that you are going to receive payment by such a cheque (which is equivalent to cash) before your client, who has never worked wit... See more Very pleased Helena to hear that your client is authentic, and from what others have said here about all their American clients who can only pay with cheques, it seems alright for you to go ahead.
I must warn others though that you story contains two details typical of the cheque scam: the fact that you will get paid with a "certified" cheque and secondly that you are going to receive payment by such a cheque (which is equivalent to cash) before your client, who has never worked with you before, sees your work.
The cheque scam works as follows. A client purchases goods/services and pays immediately with a certified cheque in excess of the amount due. You tell your client who says don't worry, cash it and when your account is credited send me back the difference. You take the cheque to the bank who tell you that it is a perfectly authentic cheque. You account is credited and remains credited for several weeks, so you think that all is OK and you refund your client the excess.
Some weeks later your bank tells you that the cheque was fraudulent and deducts the initial credit + bank costs from your account. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Helena Cuñado
Germany
Local time: 23:58
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I have done some research and... | Sep 22, 2010 |
this work is scam!
I should have done it before, but maybe I'm just too naive and unexperienced, or maybe just silly, and anything seemed "regular". By the moment I haven't done anything, but it must even be some kind of mafia. I post a topic I found at www.scam.com, hope it can help others as this people... See more this work is scam!
I should have done it before, but maybe I'm just too naive and unexperienced, or maybe just silly, and anything seemed "regular". By the moment I haven't done anything, but it must even be some kind of mafia. I post a topic I found at www.scam.com, hope it can help others as this people "hire" a lot of translators.
http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=131865
I feel very disappointed, but at least I didn't lose anything.
Thanks to all of you for your comments.
If there is any other section where I can post this to help others avoidinb being scammed, please, let me know.
Regards
Helena
[Edited at 2010-09-22 11:04 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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