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Client using hotmail address
Thread poster: Cydney Miazga
Cydney Miazga
Cydney Miazga
United States
Local time: 03:17
Spanish to English
Feb 19, 2020

Hello All,

I am quite new to the platform so my apologies if this is common knowledge. I am looking for advice here on accepting my first job through proz... Is it normal for a client to forgo job submission through proz and just send the document via a hotmail account? Is there anyway to ask for proof of validity without insulting the client? He is offering to pay via a cashier's check. Does this strike a chord with anyone?

Thank you all in advance,
Cydney Miazga


 
James Heppe-Smith
James Heppe-Smith  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 10:17
German to English

MODERATOR
Scam... Feb 19, 2020

Moved the post to the scam section, it certainly sounds like it is one to me.

Was the job posted on Proz? Or did the person contact you directly?

Proz staff may be able to assist if the job was posted here, would suggest reporting to them.

James


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Cydney Miazga
Cydney Miazga
United States
Local time: 03:17
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you for moving Feb 19, 2020

Thank you for moving my post to the right spot.

The email came in as "[Name] via ProZ.com" and the subject line "[ProZ.com mail] Service needed.......Spanish to English"

However the requester is using a gmail account. I cannot find the job in the ProZ job search area though. Thank you for the advice, I will reach out to the ProZ Staff where I can provide the individual's details in a private manner.


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 07:17
Danish to English
+ ...
Scam Feb 19, 2020

Classic scam. Don't reply and certainly don't accept.

The forums are full of similar cheque scam reports.

A few genuine agencies, typically one-(wo)man bands, do use Gmail/Hotmail/Outlook email addresses, but since you cannot directly verify who is behind such an address, you need to find another way to validate that the address belongs to the company before you accept any work – and then continue to be careful not to accept orders from a lookalike address.


Kevin Fulton
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Cydney Miazga
Cydney Miazga
United States
Local time: 03:17
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you for advice Feb 19, 2020

Thank you all for the advice! I really appreciate this community. Luckily I did not give this requester any personal information. Just so I am clear going forward, legitimate jobs will come through the ProZ platform and will be negotiated using the tools on ProZ, correct? There should be no real reason to hear from someone using a gmail/hotmail/yahoo account?

 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 08:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Cydney Feb 19, 2020

Cydney Miazga wrote:
Is it normal for a client to forgo job submission through ProZ.com and just send the document...?


Yes, it is perfectly normal.

In fact, most jobs that you get via ProZ.com will not go through the ProZ.com jobs system but by way of clients contacting you directly, either via ProZ.com's messaging system, ProZ.com's e-mail forwarding system, or directly to your e-mail address.

...via a Hotmail account // The requester is using a Gmail account.


Hotmail is very unusual, but not necessarily an automatic red flag. You should combine the fact that they're using Hotmail with other clues. I'm less concerned about a Gmail address than about a Hotmail address.

Using free non-ISP e-mail services has become very common even among people who would have access to ISP or branded e-mail services. Even some businesses use Gmail despite having a web site at their own domain. So, if the client is a private person or works for a small business, a Gmail address is not necessarily a problem. However, if they represent a business, and their Gmail address is not mentioned on their web site, then it is obviously suspect.

Is there anyway to ask for proof of validity without insulting the client?


Do not be afraid to ask the client for all kinds of proof of his bona fides. A real client won't be insulted by your request. It is normal to be careful. You can ask the client e.g. for his contact details (phone, business name and address, LinkedIn profile, business web site, etc.). You can phone the number that is listed on the client's web site, and if the client's web site has a contact form, use it and ask if such-and-such a person at such-and-such an address really works for the company.

He is offering to pay via a cashier's check.


Any kind of cheque = 90% likelihood of a scam.

Despite new laws in the United States that should make certain types of cheques counterfeit-proof and which should theoretically make the bank liable if the cheque bounces, cheques are still very risky. Unless it's a relatively small amount *and* you live in a region where accepting cheques is normal *and* the client is a known business (e.g. a known translation agency), do not accept cheques.

Cheque combined with the Hotmail address = 99.9% likely it's a scam.


[Edited at 2020-02-19 20:15 GMT]


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Cydney Miazga
Cydney Miazga
United States
Local time: 03:17
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Samuel Feb 19, 2020

Thank you Samuel for such detailed advice. This is all wonderful information to have for my next offer. I really truly appreciate you all looking out for me and providing such valuable knowledge!

 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 07:17
Danish to English
+ ...
Instinct Feb 19, 2020

Cydney Miazga wrote:

Just so I am clear going forward, legitimate jobs will come through the ProZ platform and will be negotiated using the tools on ProZ, correct? There should be no real reason to hear from someone using a gmail/hotmail/yahoo account?


As Samuel said, most legitimate jobs don't come through the platform but through direct email contacts.

However, the vast majority of legitimate agencies use company domains, not Gmail or other anonymous domains.

You still need to do some due diligence (Proz Blue Board, paymentpractices.net, etc.) on those with their own domains, as there could be some bad apples among them. As in other human relationships, there is not one simple, clear-cut rule. I guess most of us develop a gut feeling for this.


Liviu-Lee Roth
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 07:17
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Before next time: Feb 19, 2020

There's no one single thing that says SCAM. Some people set absolute rules (reject if hotmail, gmail, "Dear translator", poor English, no BB entry, etc.) and that's fine for them, but you need to do your own risk management. You don't want to turn down legitimate clients any more than you want to be scammed. Sign up for notifications from the ProZ.com Scam Centre and read all the info there, then follow the advice on the Risk Management Wiki here, plus do other checks as you see fit.

Wout Van den Broeck (X)
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
ahartje
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 07:17
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Not an outsourcer, but... Feb 19, 2020

Thomas T. Frost wrote:
the vast majority of legitimate agencies use company domains, not Gmail or other anonymous domains.

I'm not an outsource but I can tell you why I would never use an ISP email address. I was with Club-Internet when I first joined ProZ.com, but it went bust. If course, I represented money to the company who took it over, Orange. So I didn't lose even a day of connectivity. What I did lose was my emails. Literally overnight, and with no warning, the very first consequence was that my email address ws deleted, along with all my emails. I doubt Google will suffer the same fate any time soon.

I also had a website hosted by Proz.com for several years, and maybe I still have some unread emails associated with it, but I moved country and as it was very France-centric, I decided to ditch it.

Of course, my Gmail address isn't swilson3857 or similar -- that would be worrying .


Zeineb Nalouti
 
Katarzyna Slowikova
Katarzyna Slowikova  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 08:17
English to Czech
+ ...
No need to speculate, just use Google Feb 19, 2020

Sheila Wilson wrote:

There's no one single thing that says SCAM.


In this specific case I beg to differ.
I'd suggest Cydney makes a google search on part(s) of the message body.
I have a strong feeling this is just one of those copy-paste overpayment rubbish that's been posted trillion times all around the internet, incl. this forum.
If this is true, nothing else needs to be done, except blocking messages from non-logged in users in Cidney's profile. That will virtually end the scamming attempts once for all.

In the unlikely case the google search won't return anything incriminating, I suggest publishing the message body here (of course without any details allowing identification of the potential client).


Liviu-Lee Roth
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 07:17
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
I think maybe you misunderstood Feb 20, 2020

Katarzyna Slowikova wrote:

Sheila Wilson wrote:

There's no one single thing that says SCAM.


In this specific case I beg to differ.
I'd suggest Cydney makes a google search on part(s) of the message body.
I have a strong feeling this is just one of those copy-paste overpayment rubbish that's been posted trillion times all around the internet, incl. this forum.
If this is true, nothing else needs to be done, except blocking messages from non-logged in users in Cidney's profile. That will virtually end the scamming attempts once for all.

I didn't say there's nothing in this particular instance that would lead me to believe this was a scam. Indeed, I'm pretty confident it is a scam.

What I said was that there is no type of communication or statement which on its own screams SCAM. A hotmail address can be used by a totally legitimate client; a cheque is still quite common as a payment method in the USA, I believe; private individuals who need a translation will often offer payment in advance; etc. You have to consider everything about the contact and then make a business decision: whether to send a polite reply or delete the email.


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fujitakg
 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:17
German to English
Scammers monitoring Proz? Feb 20, 2020

From what I've observed, it seems that new members to Proz are contacted shortly after registering with the site. This suggests that scammers are monitoring Proz and sending bogus offers to potential victims who are eager to get a start in the words for money biz.

fujitakg
Katarzyna Slowikova
 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 15:17
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Survivor bias Feb 20, 2020

Kevin Fulton wrote:

From what I've observed, it seems that new members to Proz are contacted shortly after registering with the site. This suggests that scammers are monitoring Proz and sending bogus offers to potential victims who are eager to get a start in the words for money biz.

I get scam offers from time to time. It's just that experienced translators get a lot more emails, and can usually identify an obvious scam at first sight, so it barely registers on the radar at all, whereas newbies are much more likely to notice a scam email when they don't get all that many emails on the whole.

Plus, not many experienced translators bother to start a thread about receiving a scam, or feel the need to seek advice about it.


fujitakg
 
fujitakg
fujitakg
Local time: 21:17
English to Japanese
+ ...
APTAR PHARMA JOB OFFER - TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER Feb 20, 2020

Hi Folks,

Last February, I received a scam eーmail from slf-claiming Carl Zwis HR.

Today I received an e-mail from "APTAR PHARMA". This company really exist like Carl Zeiss.
However, this e-mail is a total scam like the Carl Zwis one.
I am attaching the whole e-mail for your information.
So please do not get cheated!!

######################
... See more
Hi Folks,

Last February, I received a scam eーmail from slf-claiming Carl Zwis HR.

Today I received an e-mail from "APTAR PHARMA". This company really exist like Carl Zeiss.
However, this e-mail is a total scam like the Carl Zwis one.
I am attaching the whole e-mail for your information.
So please do not get cheated!!

##############################
###############
[email protected] via g001.emailsrvr.com
2:43 PM (26 minutes ago)
to liliarusu11

Dear Applicant,

After a quick review of your profile on the (American Translation Association (ATA)), I write to present APTAR PHARMA TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER job offer, Aptar is a leading global supplier of a broad range of innovative dispensing, sealing and active packaging solutions for the beauty, personal care, home care, prescription drug, consumer health care, injectables, food and beverage markets. We’re in search of individuals, company irrespective of the current business type for a TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER Position.

Please indicate your interest to receive a full job description.

A referral will be welcome.

Yours Sincerely,

Joanne Calandra,

Director Human Resources,

APTAR PHARMACEUTICAL.

www.aptar.com







Be you. Be challenged. Be inspired.



Yours Sincerely,

Joanne Calandra,

Director Human Resources,

APTAR PHARMACEUTICAL.

www.aptar.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannecalandra

Be you. Be challenged. Be inspired.


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