In the name of ProZ Thread poster: Yolanda Morato
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I don\'t know if this is the right place to comment on this [ ]. In any case, it is a problem I have gone through during the last days \"thanks to\" somebody who wrote telling me that I had placed a bid for his offer. The message was the following:
\"Hello!
You have replied to our add on Proz.
I have an assignment for you if your available EN>FR. This is a presentation
done in word and Powerpoint.This consist of 10.... See more I don\'t know if this is the right place to comment on this [ ]. In any case, it is a problem I have gone through during the last days \"thanks to\" somebody who wrote telling me that I had placed a bid for his offer. The message was the following:
\"Hello!
You have replied to our add on Proz.
I have an assignment for you if your available EN>FR. This is a presentation
done in word and Powerpoint.This consist of 10.200 source words (42 ppscreens and two PDF files) translated into Word.When you open up the PowerPoint file,
please see the notes in note page, those notes have to be translated too.\"
Since I usually reply to many bids, I couldn\'t simply remember the bid, but I answered confirming I\'d take it. He made me open an e-mail account with more MB so that the big file could be sent. Midnight and I was still dealing with his requirements. The following morning, I had no file whatsoever and I was suspicious...
I had checked my bids (this possibility is great) and there were two similar offers but none of them the offer presented to me. I have checked his name but the database does not offer any answers, since there are people who prefer to keep their identity private. I sent him a couple of e-mails inquiring about the offer title, name of the agency and contacts. Nothing.
I finally tried again this morning, only to receive the following:
\"Dear Yolanda!
Project has been cancel!
I am sorry!
Regards,
Mikael\"
I just have no words to tell how I feel towards such a lack of professionality and respect. I have rejected offers, well, you may get the idea. If we place bids via ProZ, couldn\'t it be possible to receive a notification via the service, too? Many times, the employers get in contact with you by other means and through other people who work for this employer, so you never know...
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-03-20 18:05 ] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Werner George Patels, M.A., C.Tran.(ATIO) (X)
Local time: 18:35
German to English
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| Dear Yolanda | Mar 20, 2002 |
The name \"Mikael\" appeared in several job ads posted by a Russian agency (CAREFUL!!!).
I smell a rat, and a big one at that!
Did you have to pay for that new e-mail account with more MB capacity? If so, then Mikael might be the person behind that e-mail service, and it could be his way of luring \"customers\" into his web.
I know it sounds very discriminatory, but the facts speak for themselves: do not respond to job offers from tr... See more The name \"Mikael\" appeared in several job ads posted by a Russian agency (CAREFUL!!!).
I smell a rat, and a big one at that!
Did you have to pay for that new e-mail account with more MB capacity? If so, then Mikael might be the person behind that e-mail service, and it could be his way of luring \"customers\" into his web.
I know it sounds very discriminatory, but the facts speak for themselves: do not respond to job offers from translation agencies in Eastern Europe and Russia and similar countries. In 99% of these cases, you will be taken advantage of (and even the legit agencies in those countries are a write-off given their extremely low rates).
Before accepting jobs, always verify the identity of your client as best as you can. Demand a purchase order, agreement, contract, full contact information, references (oh yes, agencies should provide us with verifiable references regarding their work ethics and payment practices). ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It sounded really dubious... | Mar 20, 2002 |
Dear Werner,
you\'re right. As soon as I started asking him for details of his company and the offer title, he opted for silence. However, I\'m still confused. He asked me for an address with 2MB min. capacity without giving me any suggestions... It was only after asking him about the identity behind Mikael Kwirkow that he stopped writing messages. He proposed half of the amount via PayPal, in advance, so I was happy after all.
I do not have PayPal because of the s... See more Dear Werner,
you\'re right. As soon as I started asking him for details of his company and the offer title, he opted for silence. However, I\'m still confused. He asked me for an address with 2MB min. capacity without giving me any suggestions... It was only after asking him about the identity behind Mikael Kwirkow that he stopped writing messages. He proposed half of the amount via PayPal, in advance, so I was happy after all.
I do not have PayPal because of the stories I have heard. I told him that should be no problem, but that was the last e-mail since I was asking him for references, etc.
I guess you are right, even if it\'s always dangerous to generalise, but this story is one more to add to the list of Russian payments.
Thanks for your answer; it\'s always nice to receive some comments on \"smelly\" issues.
Best,
Yolanda ▲ Collapse
| | | | Werner George Patels, M.A., C.Tran.(ATIO) (X)
Local time: 18:35
German to English
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Yolanda,
I see that you are located in France. I just read in The Economist that French banks have been instructed not to accept cheques from Russia anymore (among some other countries on a \"black list\"). Just another reason for you not to accept work from them.
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John Kinory (X)
Local time: 23:35
English to Hebrew
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| More suggestions | Mar 21, 2002 |
Ask for bank references: ideally, a bank connection in Western Europe (in your case and mine), or in North America (for someone in Werner\'s position).
[addsig]
| | | | ivw (X)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
| deep in the swamp.. | Mar 21, 2002 |
Quote:
I just have no words to tell how I feel towards such a lack of professionality
Dear Yolanda,
I believe it\'s a basic rule not to fulfil requests of persons/agencies we do not know... A similar mistake is to open a suspicious email with a file attachment even though we do NOT know who the sender is.. NO job can be promising enough to risk our a) privacy; b) sanity; c) reputat... See more Quote:
I just have no words to tell how I feel towards such a lack of professionality
Dear Yolanda,
I believe it\'s a basic rule not to fulfil requests of persons/agencies we do not know... A similar mistake is to open a suspicious email with a file attachment even though we do NOT know who the sender is.. NO job can be promising enough to risk our a) privacy; b) sanity; c) reputation.
Please be more carefull from now on... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | let's calm down, there's no swamp here!!! | Mar 21, 2002 |
First of all, I have to thank Werner G. Patels and John Kinory for such good pieces of information. I had been working in the UK until last year, so I was pretty surprised to get to know about this black list. Once more, the forum proves to be enriching and its goal is achieved: communication is an endless source of experience.
However, I\'m a bit angry at the attitude towards my person that I have received:
I\'m not such a silly thing as to risk my \"a)... See more First of all, I have to thank Werner G. Patels and John Kinory for such good pieces of information. I had been working in the UK until last year, so I was pretty surprised to get to know about this black list. Once more, the forum proves to be enriching and its goal is achieved: communication is an endless source of experience.
However, I\'m a bit angry at the attitude towards my person that I have received:
I\'m not such a silly thing as to risk my \"a) privacy; b) sanity; c) reputation\". I think it\'s going too far... The reason why I wrote this message was to share my experience and to comment about the mysterious identity of \"Mikael Kwirkow\", who happened to be posting jobs at ProZ. Personally, I never got a job through ProZ. Never gave my phone number, less my account number; and I don\'t even have PayPal because of the stories we have heard (see Forum). So there is no \"suspicious file attached to a given e-mail account\". It is normal to open an e-mail if yours does not hold enough capacity. I did open a free one so nothing was compromised!!! My privacy has been always protected, my ProZ page does not show my CV: only the people I work for have it. My sanity... well, I don\'t consider myself so bad, and my \"reputation\": I\'m an Honorary Collaborator of a Spanish University, I give an average of 4 papers every year at international universities and I teach at two French universities (Commerce and Engineering)... I don\'t think my reputation has any problems (that\'s too much!)
Summarising, I just wanted to ask if ProZ takes part in telling the candidate if s/he has been chosen, and thanking Werner and John for their support. Nothing else!
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Quote:
Summarising, I just wanted to ask if ProZ.com takes part in telling the candidate if s/he has been chosen
No, ProZ.com does not take part in this.
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Thanks Henry for you reply  and best wishes for the members who make this site better every day!
Yolanda
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