Have you had this experience? (Staff: "Wallet lost abroad" scam) Автор темы: Yuko Fujita
| Yuko Fujita США Член ProZ.com c 2010 английский => японский + ...
Hi. I received a request to proofread a medical document by a person with a telephone number. I looked up his name and he owns a translation company in US with a website. So, I accepted the job assignment of proofreading. The translation was the worst of all I have seen in 20 years. It seems it was translated by a free software, not by a human being. Anyway, I tanslated the whole thing. It was not a proofreading job. After I sent the files to him on time, he ... See more Hi. I received a request to proofread a medical document by a person with a telephone number. I looked up his name and he owns a translation company in US with a website. So, I accepted the job assignment of proofreading. The translation was the worst of all I have seen in 20 years. It seems it was translated by a free software, not by a human being. Anyway, I tanslated the whole thing. It was not a proofreading job. After I sent the files to him on time, he responded and thanked me. That was fine. Next day, he sent me email saying that he is in Wales and got his bags stolen. He asked me to send funds so that he can return to US. I did not respond. Next day, he sent me email asking "how is the work?" I responded that I have already sent him. But I re-sent the files. To that email, he requested the funds again. I think this is fake. I will not deal with him again. Have anyone had this kind of experience?
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2012-01-23 17:35 GMT] ▲ Collapse | | | Thayenga Германия Local time: 18:31 Член ProZ.com c 2009 английский => немецкий + ... A slightly varied scam | Jan 20, 2012 |
Hi Yuko, did you contact with the person before you translated the "proofreading" assignment? If so, what did he say? The "stolen bag" and asking for money are old tricks. Did you check his IP address? This can tell you where he's located - regardless of the location he claimed to be at. | | | A few things to learn from this | Jan 20, 2012 |
1. Never accept a proofreading job without seeing the actual translation first. (The only exception is when you know who translated it and you know the quality of that translator, because you have worked with his/her texts before.) 2. Never accept any job without verifying the client's true identity and reliability. For that, use the Blue Board and other payments lists, search engines. 3. Learn to recognize typical scam patterns. Read this forum often (you can "Track" i... See more 1. Never accept a proofreading job without seeing the actual translation first. (The only exception is when you know who translated it and you know the quality of that translator, because you have worked with his/her texts before.) 2. Never accept any job without verifying the client's true identity and reliability. For that, use the Blue Board and other payments lists, search engines. 3. Learn to recognize typical scam patterns. Read this forum often (you can "Track" it, so you would get an email about each new thread posted). 4. Learn about how email accounts can be hacked. It is possible that the second email asking for funds was not sent by this person, but by someone who hacked his account. See this thread for a recent example of this: http://www.proz.com/forum/scams/215134-mugged_in_london_scam.html Katalin ▲ Collapse | | |
The translation agency may be legit, but a crook managed to hack his/their e-mail. You mentioned a phone number; call the agency and talk to them. When dealing with a new client, I rather have a very short telephonic conversation with him. Katalin's posting has very good points!
[Edited at 2012-01-21 14:05 GMT] | |
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Enrique Cavalitto Аргентина Local time: 13:31 Член ProZ.com c 2006 английский => испанский "Wallet lost abroad" scam | Jan 23, 2012 |
This is an example of the "Wallet lost abroad" scam. You can read more about this (and other) scams at ProZ.com's dedicated wiki page. The fact that the scammer created a fake job in order to establish a "trust bond" with the translator before asking for her "help" is a departure from the classic message sent to contacts of the perso... See more This is an example of the "Wallet lost abroad" scam. You can read more about this (and other) scams at ProZ.com's dedicated wiki page. The fact that the scammer created a fake job in order to establish a "trust bond" with the translator before asking for her "help" is a departure from the classic message sent to contacts of the person whose identity has been stolen. Lesson learned: better risk management. Freelancers are economic units, like small companies, and they must use a solid level of risk management. It it neither too difficult nor too time consuming, but it must be consistent. Regards, Enrique Cavalitto ▲ Collapse | | | Yuko Fujita США Член ProZ.com c 2010 английский => японский + ... Автор темы Thanks for the info. | Jan 23, 2012 |
I did contact the translation agency by phone. They told me that they had to replace the computer. It seems that thee translation agency is legit and his email address was hacked. He called me to test his new email address so that he can send me emails, because he lost his email address list. He changed his email address from [email protected] to [email protected]. Only difference i... See more I did contact the translation agency by phone. They told me that they had to replace the computer. It seems that thee translation agency is legit and his email address was hacked. He called me to test his new email address so that he can send me emails, because he lost his email address list. He changed his email address from [email protected] to [email protected]. Only difference is the number. Now, I can tell if it is fake or not. I will be moe careful when I accept jobs from new agency. Thank you for all your input! I am glad to be a member at Proz! I have friends all around the world! YF ▲ Collapse | | | Daniel Grau Аргентина Член ProZ.com c 2008 английский => испанский
His email address what hacked? That would only make it impossible for him to access his account, presumably because the hacker changed the password. But the poor guy ALSO had his computer break down on him, so he lost all his contacts? Yuko, no respectable company will contact you from a Yahoo address. Expect more scams from this guy. | | |
Sorry, but you are wrong. A hacker can brake into your e-mail account and keep it that way, without changing the password and without your knowledge. The hackker can "control" your incoming and outgoing e-mail without your knowledge or consent. Your computer may turn into a "dump site" where the hacker stores stolen data, without your knowledge or consent. Should I continue ? ........ | |
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Enrique Cavalitto Аргентина Local time: 13:31 Член ProZ.com c 2006 английский => испанский Information on risk management | Jan 27, 2012 |
YukoShiino wrote: I will be more careful when I accept jobs from new agency. You will find information on Risk management for translators and interpreters at ProZ.com's dedicated wiki page. Regards, Enrique | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Have you had this experience? (Staff: "Wallet lost abroad" scam) Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
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