Potential scam, problem, or ignorant?
Thread poster: MollyRose
MollyRose
MollyRose  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:52
English to Spanish
+ ...
Nov 10, 2018

"Good day , I would like to know if you will be able to
translate a document am to use for a presentation in 2
weeks. You will be translating from English to Spanish."


That is the entire e-mail that I received (from a gmail address). The sender was not logged in to ProZ when he sent this. Those of you with experience, would you consider it a possible real job (he just doesn't know how much info he needs to give) or is it likely to just be nothing at best or a pro
... See more
"Good day , I would like to know if you will be able to
translate a document am to use for a presentation in 2
weeks. You will be translating from English to Spanish."


That is the entire e-mail that I received (from a gmail address). The sender was not logged in to ProZ when he sent this. Those of you with experience, would you consider it a possible real job (he just doesn't know how much info he needs to give) or is it likely to just be nothing at best or a problem at worst?

I guess it's ok to say the name they gave: Gavin Ward.


[Edited at 2018-11-10 04:04 GMT]
Collapse


 
Yolanda Broad
Yolanda Broad  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 20:52
Member (2000)
French to English
+ ...

MODERATOR
Scam, plain and simple Nov 10, 2018

Folks have been posting about this "translation request" for some time, now. Could you please provide the IP, so ProZ staff can track down the sender? (And so others reading this forum can recognize the sender.)

Liviu-Lee Roth
Sheila Wilson
Joe France
Robert Forstag
writeaway
 
Mirko Mainardi
Mirko Mainardi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 01:52
Member
English to Italian
Raise Nov 10, 2018

Here's what I got this morning:

Hello,


We are looking for English to Italian translators for a continuous
project. If interested do share your CV and other details to us.


Looking forward your reply.


That came from a (free) profile created this month, belonging to the "manager" of a Malaysian translation agency whose website is "under construction", and the message IP points to India.

It might very well be a legitimate offer, but... does it really matter?


 
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:52
Member (2004)
English to Italian
Got it too... Nov 10, 2018

Mirko Mainardi wrote:

Here's what I got this morning:

Hello,


We are looking for English to Italian translators for a continuous
project. If interested do share your CV and other details to us.


Looking forward your reply.


That came from a (free) profile created this month, belonging to the "manager" of a Malaysian translation agency whose website is "under construction", and the message IP points to India.

It might very well be a legitimate offer, but... does it really matter?




 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
overgeneralization Nov 10, 2018

First, how could you make sure the person is real--not a phony [not registered/not logged in]; any verifiable contacts?

Second, how could you make sure he is serious about good intentions; where's any specifics--the source and result file type, the field, the word count, the rates, the PO/contract, the payment method, the whats?

Third, why exactly you; no specifics too?


Considering the above, the prospect client/ar
... See more
First, how could you make sure the person is real--not a phony [not registered/not logged in]; any verifiable contacts?

Second, how could you make sure he is serious about good intentions; where's any specifics--the source and result file type, the field, the word count, the rates, the PO/contract, the payment method, the whats?

Third, why exactly you; no specifics too?


Considering the above, the prospect client/artist asked you for something, providing nothing: either (s)he is far too business-wise ignorant, or even worse.

Without specifics it's just not worth even replying to
Collapse


 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 01:52
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
Not necessarily ill-intentioned Nov 10, 2018

It seems legitimate to me, perhaps from someone who does not usually deal with translations.

Imagine sending a request for a service you don't usually require, such as having something in your house repaired. Would you use the specific lingo, give all detailed information from the start and be able to communicate everything that is relevant for the job? I don't think I would.

I receive similar requests occasionally. In such cases I require further information about the
... See more
It seems legitimate to me, perhaps from someone who does not usually deal with translations.

Imagine sending a request for a service you don't usually require, such as having something in your house repaired. Would you use the specific lingo, give all detailed information from the start and be able to communicate everything that is relevant for the job? I don't think I would.

I receive similar requests occasionally. In such cases I require further information about the individual/company, preview of the material, and advanced payment. About half of them turn into actual assignments, rarely over a couple thousand words, more frequently a few hundred.
Collapse


Daryo
 
MollyRose
MollyRose  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:52
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
IP addresss Nov 13, 2018

You have been sent a message via ProZ.com.
Author: Gavin Ward
[NOTE: The author is not a registered ProZ.com user or was not logged in when sending this message.]
Author's IP address: 104.238.38.173
Message type: Job-related



Thank you, everyone, for your answers. I appreciate them all.


 
jyuan_us
jyuan_us  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 20:52
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
It is a scam attempt Nov 14, 2018

"am to use for a presentation" is a branded phrase for these translation scammers.

"You will be translating from A to B" is also a structure liked by some of the scammers.


 
Mónica Algazi
Mónica Algazi  Identity Verified
Uruguay
Local time: 21:52
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
I got one yesterday Nov 15, 2018

In my case, it was sent by this Ricky Thomas ([email protected]) with an IP address from Quincy, Massachusetts). The same old story about a presentation in a few weeks, and the same old story "Since our sponsors will make payment, we will need the details of your bank account".
I have already reported this to the Support team as this time the message came from someone who had registered with Proz the day before.


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Lucia Leszinsky[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Potential scam, problem, or ignorant?







TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »