| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | scam or not scam? Thread poster: Emmanuelle G (X)
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Emmanuelle G (X) 
France
Local time: 22:58
English to French
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I had answered to a job post a month ago, I didn't get any reply until now, and I am afraid that the answer I received is a scam, it seems strange to me, and badly written, what do you think ?? The text seems not to be professional to me... and what can I do or tell him to make sure about it?
Here is the email:
Hello Emmanuelle ,
I didn't reply your previous email because of the change on the date for the project. As at the time we posted the job for transl... See more I had answered to a job post a month ago, I didn't get any reply until now, and I am afraid that the answer I received is a scam, it seems strange to me, and badly written, what do you think ?? The text seems not to be professional to me... and what can I do or tell him to make sure about it?
Here is the email:
Hello Emmanuelle ,
I didn't reply your previous email because of the change on the date for the project. As at the time we posted the job for translation, we made some change on our project and there is no way we can meet up the schedule date so we had to pros-pone the job until now. I hope you have some spear time to take on this project and to meet up with the delivery date.
I am a disable private businessman, looking for a translator to work on my new project that am taking on in Spain.I have checked your CV and i am pleased to inform you that i have chosen you to work on this project as my translator. I truly understand the stand of a translator, i mean how time is no friend to a translator so i will go straight to the points.. I attached a sample of the work titled project A, just want you to have understanding of what we are about to do together.
My business address is as follow..
xxx
Naples, FL 34110
Phone: xxx
Now i guess you have an idea of the man you about to start work with, attached is a sample. The delivery date is negotiable but must be before November 29, 2011.
The total number of the words are ... 47,234 words so to convert from English to French ,i believe you know its a bit large work project states the followings..
++ Please state it out, the amount you charge for per word
++ please calculate the total amount, also state out the discount..
++ categorically state your city and country of residence?
++ Can you state out your date of delivery and method in which you will have all done
I hope we can come to term for success of this project.
Thank you
Best regards ▲ Collapse
| | | | Emmanuelle G (X)
France
Local time: 22:58
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 16:58
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| The first clue that this is a scam is | Oct 12, 2011 |
the fact that they provide way too much information and are way too concerned about you trusting them and the way they throw in a lot of extraneous details about delivery terms, word counts, etc. to trick you into thinking this is a genuine project. After all, why would they go to all this trouble and why would a disabled person lie? In fact, I would venture to say that the more information they provide (about themselves, their family, their living situation, their health status, their praise fo... See more the fact that they provide way too much information and are way too concerned about you trusting them and the way they throw in a lot of extraneous details about delivery terms, word counts, etc. to trick you into thinking this is a genuine project. After all, why would they go to all this trouble and why would a disabled person lie? In fact, I would venture to say that the more information they provide (about themselves, their family, their living situation, their health status, their praise for you, their excitement about working with you, the promise of future work, etc.) the more likely it is to be a scam. With genuine clients, you usually have to extract more information from them (size of the document, deadline, payment terms) because they are naturally more concerned about the translation, the service they are purchasing, rather than on how you will be paid or in ingratiating themselves to you. Clients who can afford a $5,000 translation are too busy to write such elaborate e-mails.
Most direct clients write e-mails like:
Dear Translator,
I have a German contract I need translated into English. How much would it cost?
Thanks,
Client
[company e-mail, address and phone number]
[Edited at 2011-10-12 15:59 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Emmanuelle G (X)
France
Local time: 22:58
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thank you for all the details! | Oct 12, 2011 |
Dear Jeff,
thank you for your help! It's the second scam I receive this month... But I have a question: what is exactly the scam? Do they ask you your bank details, or any money? How do this work?
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| The disable private businessman | Oct 12, 2011 |
Jeff is right, the overload of irrelevant information is one of the warning signal.
In particular "I am a disable private businessman" should activate a red light in your risk-management screen.
Regards,
Enrique
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 22:58
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Disabled or not, what would that have to do with a job offer or with accepting one? Why elaborate on the cause of any delays? To attract pity?
I've received late replies in regard to a quote which usually read:
Dear Thayenga,
I apologize for such a late reply.
Are you still availabel to do the translation?
Regards.
XXXXX
This short email is telling me that the client is much too busy to dwell on the subje... See more Disabled or not, what would that have to do with a job offer or with accepting one? Why elaborate on the cause of any delays? To attract pity?
I've received late replies in regard to a quote which usually read:
Dear Thayenga,
I apologize for such a late reply.
Are you still availabel to do the translation?
Regards.
XXXXX
This short email is telling me that the client is much too busy to dwell on the subject.
And really, I don't need to know why the response came so late. All I'm interested in is the job and....all the client is interested in is to get the translation done.
Everything else is a Scam.
 ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 16:58
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| There are two possibilities | Oct 12, 2011 |
1) They are trying to get free translation work (for their own use, or to resell to an agency or client). In this case, the letters are usually better crafted since they are familiar with the industry.
or
2) They will send you an overpayment and ask to you to return the difference. After you return the overpayment, you discover that their payment (check, money order, bank transfer, etc.) was bogus.
Emmanuelle Gibert wrote:
Dear Jeff,
thank you for your help! It's the second scam I receive this month... But I have a question: what is exactly the scam? Do they ask you your bank details, or any money? How do this work?
| | | | | Wiki page on scams | Oct 12, 2011 |
Emmanuelle Gibert wrote:
Dear Jeff,
thank you for your help! It's the second scam I receive this month... But I have a question: what is exactly the scam? Do they ask you your bank details, or any money? How do this work?
Hi Emmanuelle,
There is a wiki page dedicated to Detecting and reacting to false job offers and other scams.
A typical scam involves sending the payment in checks for a sum well above the agreed payment. In this case you will be asked to deposit the checks and wire back the excess payment. When the bank tells you some days later that the check was a counterfeit you will not be able to find the "disable private businessman" again.
Regards,
Enrique
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Emmanuelle G (X)
France
Local time: 22:58
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I am a disable translator, could you pay me more? :-D | Oct 12, 2011 |
Thayenga wrote:
Disabled or not, what would that have to do with a job offer or with accepting one? Why elaborate on the cause of any delays? To attract pity?
thank you. yes, that's the best point of the email, the "disable man"...
I am going to try it with my clients next time "I am a disable translator, could you pay me more?", maybe it could work ah ah
| | | | Emmanuelle G (X)
France
Local time: 22:58
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | this makes sense | Oct 12, 2011 |
Enrique wrote:
A typical scam involves sending the payment in checks for a sum well above the agreed payment. In this case you will be asked to deposit the checks and wire back the excess payment. When the bank tells you some days later that the check was a counterfeit you will not be able to find the "disable private businessman" again.
Enrique
Anyway, i would be suspicious because this kind of mistakes do not happen a lot in real life!
thanks for the link, interesting one.
| | | | Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 16:58
Romanian to English
+ ...
| Why a scam ? | Oct 13, 2011 |
Emmanuelle,
Please read the very first post by Jared and if you have time, my post on Aug. 27, ”a new scam”.
Good luck !
Lee
| | | | Emilia De Paola
Italy
Local time: 22:58
Member (2007)
English to Italian
+ ...
| Travellers'cheques | Oct 13, 2011 |
Hi,
an email similar to the one Emmanuelle received was sent to me by a certain Robert Schwarz who wanted a translation in the field of feet care. "I am happy to have you as my freelance translator" he wrote. I went on Google and there was really such a firm in Germany. Anyway he sent me another email saying he would have paid using travellers' cheques and when I answered I was going to my bank to ask if it was an acceptable form of deposit for them he answered his cheques were immediately... See more Hi,
an email similar to the one Emmanuelle received was sent to me by a certain Robert Schwarz who wanted a translation in the field of feet care. "I am happy to have you as my freelance translator" he wrote. I went on Google and there was really such a firm in Germany. Anyway he sent me another email saying he would have paid using travellers' cheques and when I answered I was going to my bank to ask if it was an acceptable form of deposit for them he answered his cheques were immediately changed into money after deposit.
Luckily my bank said that this form of payment is no longer in use, they do not deal with it and I should not have accepted it, so I answered the scammer I refused the job and he disappeared. What is treacherous is they use names of real firms...
They could be the same that first wrote under the name Linguistico. Amanda. Well I must admit I was cheated last year by them for a small job. The amount was small for the little job and so I did not require payment immediately. They sent me more jobs and luckily I did not accept because I had no time. Now I have discovered they were scammers, but very professional, I must say!
I am writing because so we avoid other translators being cheated! ▲ Collapse
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Emmanuelle G (X)
France
Local time: 22:58
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | thank you Emy | Oct 13, 2011 |
emy 2 wrote:
Hi,
an email similar to the one Emmanuelle received was sent to me by a certain Robert Schwarz who wanted a translation in the field of feet care. "I am happy to have you as my freelance translator" he wrote. I went on Google and there was really such a firm in Germany. Anyway he sent me another email saying he would have paid using travellers' cheques and when I answered I was going to my bank to ask if it was an acceptable form of deposit for them he answered his cheques were immediately changed into money after deposit.
Luckily my bank said that this form of payment is no longer in use, they do not deal with it and I should not have accepted it, so I answered the scammer I refused the job and he disappeared. What is treacherous is they use names of real firms...
They could be the same that first wrote under the name Linguistico. Amanda. Well I must admit I was cheated last year by them for a small job. The amount was small for the little job and so I did not require payment immediately. They sent me more jobs and luckily I did not accept because I had no time. Now I have discovered they were scammers, but very professional, I must say!
I am writing because so we avoid other translators being cheated!
we have to be very careful. Scammers are everywhere... it was also a certain Robert Schwarz for me too.
| | | | | the same problem | Oct 22, 2011 |
Hi,
this morning I rea d this email:
Now, the name is James Baxter. Another scam???
Hello ,
I didn't reply your previous email because of the change on the date for the project. As at the time we posted the job for translation, we made some change on our project and there is no way we can meet up the schedule date so we had to pros-pone the job until now. I hope you have some spear time to take on this project and to meet up with the delivery... See more Hi,
this morning I rea d this email:
Now, the name is James Baxter. Another scam???
Hello ,
I didn't reply your previous email because of the change on the date for the project. As at the time we posted the job for translation, we made some change on our project and there is no way we can meet up the schedule date so we had to pros-pone the job until now. I hope you have some spear time to take on this project and to meet up with the delivery date.
I am a disable private businessman, looking for a translator to work on my new project that am taking on in Spain.I have checked your CV and i am pleased to inform you that i have chosen you to work on this project as my translator. I truly understand the stand of a translator, i mean how time is no friend to a translator so i will go straight to the points.. I attached a sample of the work titled FILE B, just want you to have understanding of what we are about to do together.
My business address is as follow..
216 CEDAR AVE
VINTON, VA 24179-3310
Phone: 239 443 3846
Now i guess you have an idea of the man you about to start work with, attached is a sample. The delivery date is negotiable but must be before November 29, 2011.
The total number of the words are ... 33,234 words so to convert from English to Spanish,i believe you know its a bit large work project states the followings..
++ Please state it out, the amount you charge for per word
++ please calculate the total amount, also state out the discount..
++ categorically state your city and country of residence?
++ Can you state out your date of delivery and method in which you will have all done
I hope we can come to term for success of this project.
Thank you
Best regards
James ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It is a scammer for sure | Oct 22, 2011 |
Helena, I have received exactly the same email as yours. With the same name "James Baxter" and the same address and phone number. He says he has also selected my CV for this translation. Stay away from this scammer!
Best regards
Jose
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