{"id":791,"date":"2019-04-12T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/?p=791"},"modified":"2019-04-12T04:51:23","modified_gmt":"2019-04-12T03:51:23","slug":"translation-scams-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/translation-scams-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Translation Scams, Part I. Recognizing and Avoiding Scams (SlavFile Reprint)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"SlavFile<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Olga Shostachuk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is reprinted with permission from the <\/em>latest issue<\/em><\/a> of the SLD newsletter, SlavFile. You can find the current issue and an archive back to 1999 at https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/slavfile\/<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You would think that after\ndecades of attempting to scrupulously identify and combat the Internet\u2019s oldest\nhustle, namely email scams, there`d be a fix for them by now. Alas, there is\nnot. Internet access, social media, and the convenience and anonymity of email,\nalong with the capability these provide for easily contacting thousands of\npeople at once, enables scammers to work in volume. Although translators are\ngenerally aware of scams these days, even experienced, savvy translators get\nduped on occasion. The fraudsters continually refine their techniques and expand\ntheir targets, so it is crucial to stay alert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article describes some of\nthe many email-based scams targeting translators (and often other types of\nfreelancers as well). We hope this information will help you to better\nrecognize potential traps and avoid them. The Federal Trade Commission (https:\/\/www.ftc.gov<\/a>) is a great resource for further\ninformation on new and \u201crecycled\u201d scams and how to avoid cybercriminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common types of scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many scams fall into a few broad\ncategories, described below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

419 Advance fee fraud<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This type of scam is also known\nas the Nigerian Prince scam, the Spanish Prisoner scam, the black money scam,\nFifo’s Fraud, and the Detroit-Buffalo scam. These schemes are quite elaborate\nand, despite their somewhat preposterous appearance, they manage to hook a\nsurprising number of victims. The classic 419 advance fee scam attempts to\nentice the victim into a bogus plot to acquire and split a large sum of cash. The\ntranslator variant of this scheme is usually one in which a translator is asked\nto perform a translation, paid in advance for the work, and then asked to refund\nan accidental overpayment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is how it works. Once you’ve\ntaken the initial bait, i.e., responded to the original job message, you will\nlikely receive a sizable document to translate (usually 3,000-5,000 words) and\nan offer of payment. If you go on to accept the job, you will soon discover\nthat the client has sent payment in advance (even if advance payment was not\namong the agreed-upon terms) and has \u201cmistakenly\u201d sent a check for a much\nlarger amount than the agreed-upon fee. The scammer will ask you to return the\nexcess funds, usually by bank wire. Alas, because of the length of time it\ntakes to process a check, particularly one from overseas, by the time your bank\ninforms you that the check is fake and no funds have been credited to your\naccount, you will have long since sent the bank wire and had the money pulled\nfrom your account and transferred to the scammer. Thus, you are out whatever\neffort you put into the translation as well as the funds you wired to cover the\n\u201coverpayment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phishing emails<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phishing emails have been crafted\nto look as if they were sent from a legitimate organization, when in fact they\naim to fool you into visiting a bogus website where you inadvertently download\nmalware (viruses and other software intended to compromise your computer) or\nreveal sensitive personal or account information. Phishing emails usually contain\na link that appears to take you to a legitimate company`s website to fill in\nyour information, but the website is a clever fake and the information you\nprovide goes straight to the crooks behind the scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subscription scams<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subscription scammers approach\ntranslators (and other freelancers) with the promise of well-paying work, but\nthey want you to pay for the leads or subscribe to their services for a fee. All\nthey want is your money, not your skills. You might as well throw your money\naway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resume (identity) theft<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this scenario, fraudsters\npluck a translator\u2019s resume from a website such as www.proz.com, set up an e-mail\naccount in the translator\u2019s name, and send (often poorly crafted) e-mails\nposing as the professional translator and soliciting work. It is unclear how\nexactly this profits them, although they might get paid; but certainly it\ndamages your reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SlavFile <\/em>editor Jen Guernsey warns of another scam in which the\nscammer impersonates a legitimate company. If a new company contacts you be\nsure to look closely at the website and domain name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing and avoiding email scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The screen shot below contains\nnumerous red flags indicating that this email is likely a scam:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Source: www.webroot.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 and 2. The email is not\naddressed to the recipient by name. Here, the addressee is \u201cyou\u201d and \u201cDear\ncustomer.\u201d Either the fraudsters don`t know your name, or they are using a\ntemplate and not bothering to customize it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The email doesn\u2019t make sense. In\nthis instance, it might reference an account that you never created. Or it\nstates that you have exceeded the number of login attempts allowed, when you\nhaven\u2019t even been trying to sign in to that account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. The email contains a\nsurprising number of grammatical or spelling errors, even though it ostensibly\ncomes from a professional entity such as a bank or a translation company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. The email encourages you to confirm\nthat the email is legitimate by clicking on a link provided in the email itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. The email contains a link to a\nsite or an email address that does not match the text of the link. To see the\nlink destination, simply hover your cursor over the website link (without\nclicking), or click on the email address link, and you will see that the website\nor email address does not match the email originator or the purported\ndestination. In this example, you can see the true link address displayed along\nthe bottom of the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is another typical example\nof a fraudulent solicitation. In November 2017, an email from George Boucher, georgyboucher@gmail.com<\/a>, landed in my\nmailbox. It read: My dear!<\/em> I’m in need of your service to translate the\nattached English content document. However, I have some questions such as:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.How much would you charge per page, word or for the entire\ntranslation?
\n2. Specialized language\/s.
\n3. Preferred mode of payment, though I would like to propose cashier\u2019s check or\nbank certified check and do not hesitate to confirm if this is okay by you.
\nProject deadline is 1 month starting from 12\/20\/2017.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the warning signs here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. First of all, no client,\nespecially a new one, is likely to call you \u201cMy dear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Grammar, style, and register\nare all off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. If a \u201cclient\u201d found your info\nsomewhere online, he or she would already know your language combination(s). No\nlegitimate client reaches out to a translator without specifying the required\nlanguage pair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips to help you avoid being taken<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following recommendations can\nminimize your chances of falling victim of an email scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Utilize good general\ncybersecurity practices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n