Translation - art & business » Scams »
Checks sent via Fedex
Thread poster: delmege (X)
delmege (X)
delmege (X)
United States
Local time: 05:48
English to Polish
+ ...
Feb 28, 2020

Warning to US members. There is a company using the proz.com site to target its members with offers of translating jobs. They are sending checks by Fedex, then immediately cancelling half of the assignment and asking for the return of half of of the money. Do not fall for this, these are fraudulent checks on non-existing accounts. Wait till the checks clear (2 weeks, even). I did resist their pressure & contacted the FBI.
 
James Heppe-Smith
James Heppe-Smith  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 15:48
German to English

MODERATOR
Moved to Scams Feb 28, 2020

I moved this topic to Scams.

Please also notify the Proz staff about the full details of the scam. I would also suggest, in this case, you should name the company and the email address(es) used in the process.

I hope you weren't stung too much by these people.

James

Liviu-Lee Roth
 
Liviu-Lee Roth
Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 08:48
Romanian to English
+ ...
it is not a company, they are unknown worldwide scammers Mar 2, 2020

delmege wrote:

Warning to US members. There is a company using the proz.com site to target its members with offers of translating jobs. They are sending checks by Fedex, then immediately cancelling half of the assignment and asking for the return of half of of the money. Do not fall for this, these are fraudulent checks on non-existing accounts. Wait till the checks clear (2 weeks, even). I did resist their pressure & contacted the FBI.


You did the right thing informing the FBI, but don't expect miracles. The perpetrator(s) might be from the other end of the world who bought the narrative on the dark net and send it everywhere. Better stay informed about the type of scams that go around in our world.

Stay safe
lee
 
delmege (X)
delmege (X)
United States
Local time: 05:48
English to Polish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Cashier checks sent via Fedex Mar 2, 2020

I don't know why proz.com changed the title of my warning to cashier's checks: it was an ordinary check. I smelled a rat immediately & told them that I will not start translating until the check clears. They cancelled half of the job & requested half of the money, which of course I did not send. It all turned out to be a fraud. I lost nothing, but still want to warn others: wait till the check clears before committing to anything. This may even take two weeks.
 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 07:48
English to Russian
+ ...
Oh my Mar 2, 2020

delmege wrote:

want to warn others: wait till the check clears


This is the worst advise you could give. I'm sorry but you've learned nothing.

Do NOT deposit the check. The rest has been explained gazillion times in the Scam Alert fora.

Katarzyna Slowikova
Josephine Cassar
Liviu-Lee Roth
 
delmege (X)
delmege (X)
United States
Local time: 05:48
English to Polish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Why this aggression? Mar 2, 2020

IrinaN: Why are you patronizing me? I described my experience, which was not knowing whether I was dealing with a genuine client or not & taking precautions. Did not know that sharing this will be met with arrogance of this magnitude. After all, the "client" arrived in my email box via proz.com.
 
Katarzyna Slowikova
Katarzyna Slowikova  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 14:48
English to Czech
+ ...
Some people never learn Mar 3, 2020

@delmege:
Its been couple of days since your post has been moved to this forum and you still apparently haven't thought it necessary to read a single thread here.
Unfortunately, it seems to be a pattern lately, people just dumping their "experiences" here, without (some) even coming back to read the answers. Not everybody has the patience like Liviu, repeating the same over and over and over.... Some will burst out like Irina, most will stay silent thinking pretty much the same.

Liviu-Lee Roth
 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 07:48
English to Russian
+ ...
Dear Delmege Mar 3, 2020

delmege wrote:

not knowing whether I was dealing with a genuine client or not & taking precautions


For what it's worth, I apologize but, for Pete's sake, you are a lawyer with 31 years of translation experience.

Forgive me, but how can a lawyer advise to deposit a check from a potential fraudster as a precautionary measure???

[Edited at 2020-03-03 01:16 GMT]

Liviu-Lee Roth
 
Michael Newton
Michael Newton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:48
Japanese to English
+ ...
Checks via FEDEX Mar 3, 2020

When, oh, when will people stop falling for this scam?! You can avoid the agro by telling the prospective client: "Sorry, no checks accepted, bank wire transfer and PayPal only". You will see them scurry back into the woodwork like the rats that they are. Stop trying to suss out of these people a quantum of honesty by going their their useless iterations.

Kevin Fulton
 


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