Scam alert
Thread poster: Gulya Shigabutdinova
Gulya Shigabutdinova
Gulya Shigabutdinova
United States
Local time: 15:49
English to Russian
+ ...
Sep 6, 2018

I'm new to translation and I just registered my account with ProZ.

Right away I get a message from Patricia. She sends me a huge document and asks for a quote. I send her a quote, she replies - happy with the price, ready to go... the only thing she needs is my banking info for a direct deposit. Now that's a red flag, but I decide to give her a benefit of a doubt, tell her "thanks, but no can do", deposit via Paypal or check only... To which she replies that check is coming soon, wi
... See more
I'm new to translation and I just registered my account with ProZ.

Right away I get a message from Patricia. She sends me a huge document and asks for a quote. I send her a quote, she replies - happy with the price, ready to go... the only thing she needs is my banking info for a direct deposit. Now that's a red flag, but I decide to give her a benefit of a doubt, tell her "thanks, but no can do", deposit via Paypal or check only... To which she replies that check is coming soon, with a full amount (!) prior to commencement. And since I now had "her" phone number, a quick internet search revealed Patricia's multiple personality disorder, since that number was used in another scam on a dating site, this time by a male damsel-in-distress.

I feel like a new recruit walking out on a battlefield, all hopes and innocence gone in a flash of a grenade.

So... does this kinda thing happen often?
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Kevin Fulton
LAURIE LANE
Sylvia Izzo
 
Eliza Hall
Eliza Hall
United States
Local time: 15:49
French to English
+ ...
Yikes! Sep 6, 2018

Glad you spotted the scam, and thanks for sharing. I joined last month and didn't get such an email. I don't know how often it happens.

Gulya Shigabutdinova
 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 20:49
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
Not uncommon Sep 6, 2018

I remember a detailed thread about this scheme a couple of months ago.

They use your account to receive a payment from somebody else for a service they don't provide, then cancel the order to you and require (or force) a reimbursement to their real account.

I vaguely remember something similar when I first signed up for this website, years ago. They probably go after new subscribers.


Gulya Shigabutdinova
Sylvia Izzo
 
Jane Phillips
Jane Phillips  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 20:49
Member (2013)
French to English
Same here Sep 6, 2018

My version was slightly different in that they actually sent payment - photocopied travellers cheques, but as soon as they'd posted them oh dear they realised they had overpaid so could I be an angel and refund the overpayment by bank transfer (deducting my bank charges of course) and just to over-egg it even more the money was actually for a friend in South Africa to pay for his cancer treatment!!!

Just for fun I did the translation, for practice and because it was a subject that i
... See more
My version was slightly different in that they actually sent payment - photocopied travellers cheques, but as soon as they'd posted them oh dear they realised they had overpaid so could I be an angel and refund the overpayment by bank transfer (deducting my bank charges of course) and just to over-egg it even more the money was actually for a friend in South Africa to pay for his cancer treatment!!!

Just for fun I did the translation, for practice and because it was a subject that interested me. No I didn't send it, just in case you were wondering, not they they were interested in the actual work. The chap even had the nerve to ring me up and try to brazen it out...

It was my first Proz "customer" but since then, several years down the line, I have never had a non-payer, anyone remotely dodgy, or any other problem. It counts as a lesson, that one was so obvious I find it hard to believe anyone actually fell for it, but I certainly always keep a weather eye out for anything sounding too-good-to-be-true or simply from a new customer. Maybe I'll get had one day but so far so good.

Good luck on your new career and no, there are far more honest customers out there than bogeymen/women (bogeypeople?)!

Best wishes

Jane
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Gulya Shigabutdinova
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
Parasites are ALWAYS hungry Sep 6, 2018

How often do fraudsters want to eat and drink? When do swindlers have enough and stop? How many more brave new souls are still there to come and join this or that club? Welcome to the zero sum game!

Tricksters do always sponge on working people, humiliating on the impudent, the ignoramus, and the gullible--or at least a novice. Why, some con artists even proudly call themselves teachers, stating they render the society a huge service mentoring the untouchables, abusing the fact a de
... See more
How often do fraudsters want to eat and drink? When do swindlers have enough and stop? How many more brave new souls are still there to come and join this or that club? Welcome to the zero sum game!

Tricksters do always sponge on working people, humiliating on the impudent, the ignoramus, and the gullible--or at least a novice. Why, some con artists even proudly call themselves teachers, stating they render the society a huge service mentoring the untouchables, abusing the fact a decent specialist is often a poor businessman.

It's enough to remember just two simple words: DUE DILIGENCE!
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Gulya Shigabutdinova
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 19:49
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Not that common once established, fortunately Sep 6, 2018

Gulya Shigabutdinova wrote:
I'm new to translation and I just registered my account with ProZ.

That's exactly why you were targeted . Unfortunately, they target those who are most likely to be fooled - so well done for not falling into "her" trap. You'll find that once you get "known" (although I'm not quite sure how they assess that) you won't get too many. And those that you do receive won't waste much of your time.

Please do other translators a favour by reporting this to the ProZ.com Scam Centre, giving all the contact details. There's a link to do just that. At the same time, sign up to receive alerts so that you'll be warned as soon as they change tactics and become even more ingenious.


Gulya Shigabutdinova
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Gulya Shigabutdinova
Gulya Shigabutdinova
United States
Local time: 15:49
English to Russian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Scam Centre Sep 6, 2018

Sheila Wilson wrote:
Please do other translators a favour by reporting this to the ProZ.com Scam Centre, giving all the contact details. There's a link to do just that. At the same time, sign up to receive alerts so that you'll be warned as soon as they change tactics and become even more ingenious.


Thank you! All of it makes sense, new blood and all

Could you please point me at the right direction - how do I report about my new friend Patricia?

[Edited at 2018-09-06 19:01 GMT]


 
Gina Ferlisi
Gina Ferlisi
Local time: 20:49
Member (2008)
Italian to English
It happened twice to me on another website Sep 6, 2018

I have been translating for many years now but it happened to me a couple of years back on another website, she ran off with 700 euros, they put a fake address and phone number but i did not check it out as she seemed serious.

This year the same thing happened again, but this time she used the name of a french solicitor but an address of a hotel too but when i found out it was too late she sent me a job that she got from an agency on proz, i did the job for her in good faith sent
... See more
I have been translating for many years now but it happened to me a couple of years back on another website, she ran off with 700 euros, they put a fake address and phone number but i did not check it out as she seemed serious.

This year the same thing happened again, but this time she used the name of a french solicitor but an address of a hotel too but when i found out it was too late she sent me a job that she got from an agency on proz, i did the job for her in good faith sent the invoice ecc but never got payment, but after making a complaint with the end client i found out that the job was sent from another agency on Proz that hired her for the translation, she seemed to have a good fake profile here with also 3 Wwa, so she got the job but she sent it to me saying she was an agency and she also got paid for it from the agency on Proz.

At the end the scammer outsourced the job to me and she got paid for it from the official agency on proz. from a black list i found out that she also sent other 4 jobs also in german and french in the same week.

The problem is they are still around cheating many of us



[Modificato alle 2018-09-06 19:15 GMT]
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Gulya Shigabutdinova
Raffaella Palmisano
 
Raffaella Palmisano
Raffaella Palmisano  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 13:49
Member (2018)
English to Italian
+ ...
Same happened to me Sep 11, 2018

I don't trust jobs coming from other freelancers, I got scammed once. But sometimes companies would send me projects from private emails (gmail, hotmail, etc.) and although they present themselves as companies, they don't provide business info. So, a decent company should also show in their emails or POs their billing info, which are easily verifiable (you can look up VAT numbers on the EU site and check company addresses on google). So, always ask for billing info before starting a new job for ... See more
I don't trust jobs coming from other freelancers, I got scammed once. But sometimes companies would send me projects from private emails (gmail, hotmail, etc.) and although they present themselves as companies, they don't provide business info. So, a decent company should also show in their emails or POs their billing info, which are easily verifiable (you can look up VAT numbers on the EU site and check company addresses on google). So, always ask for billing info before starting a new job for a new client.Collapse


Gulya Shigabutdinova
 
carmen constantinescu
carmen constantinescu
United States
Local time: 15:49
English to Romanian
Patricia Sep 27, 2018

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SCAM ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I just got this:

Patricia Smith

"Hello Carmelita,
Thanks for your prompt response.
Attached here is a copy of the document I would like to translate,so you can view, send me your proforma invoice/charges, modes of payment and your delivery time.
I would also like you to proofread and format the document after translating so kindly include the fee to the in the grand-total.
Thank
... See more
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SCAM ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I just got this:

Patricia Smith

"Hello Carmelita,
Thanks for your prompt response.
Attached here is a copy of the document I would like to translate,so you can view, send me your proforma invoice/charges, modes of payment and your delivery time.
I would also like you to proofread and format the document after translating so kindly include the fee to the in the grand-total.
Thank you"

The attachment was 110 pages...but just a senseless compilation of fragments from a book...so I saw red flags all over

Beware!
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Gulya Shigabutdinova
 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 14:49
English to Russian
+ ...
About red flags Sep 28, 2018

Gulya Shigabutdinova wrote:

I'm new to translation and I just registered my account with ProZ.

Right away I get a message from Patricia. She sends me a huge document


Dear Gulya,

I am sorry but that was the first and the most important red flag.

Why would a serious client pick someone with your information in the profile for "a huge job" without any further ado? No additional questions, no tests, no portfolio to read, no samples, charge what you want, often totaling in mesmerizing thousands in Western currencies...

Unbelievable. Most people with little or now experience, at least a visible one, who got caught in those scams, which, incidentally, are so obvious it's not even funny, never ask themselves that same question. Why????????

Disclaimer: by "your information" I mean that it is very limited and certainly would not be enough for any real client in any industry to make a final choice of any vendor; it has nothing to do with your actual ability to do the job. Your post made an impression that nothing else was required of you before you got that "huge job".




[Edited at 2018-09-28 15:15 GMT]


Gulya Shigabutdinova
 
Sonja Lowicki (X)
Sonja Lowicki (X)
Spain
Local time: 19:49
English to German
+ ...
Happened to me too!! Apr 9, 2019

The exact same thing happened to me too. I of course was excited as it would have been my first 'real' job, but the no-questions-asked, no previous jobs done, the huge (nonsensical) document and also the lack of an agency / website etc were just too many red flags for me. I double checked with a good friend and well-established ProZ member and she referred me to this thread... good for you that you didn't go ahead with it!!

Gulya Shigabutdinova
 


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