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| User | Thread poster: Enrique Announcing a new feature: Translator scam alert center |
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Enrique 
Argentina
Local time: 05:39
 Member (2006)
SITE STAFF |
Dear members,
False job offers and other scams affect translators and interpreters just as they do in other industries, and in many cases, these scams target language professionals in particular. On ProZ.com, users have had the option to report potential scams via the online support system. In early 2011, in response to an increase in these reports and the obvious need to bring them to a wider audience, the Scams forum was created, as was a ProZ.com wiki article, Detecting and reacting to false job offers and other scams.
While to many it may be clear when they have a potential scam on their hands, experience has shown that still many language professionals would benefit from clearer, more organized information which helps them to decide whether they are in the presence of a scam, or if they should simply proceed with the caution and risk management that is called for when contacted by a new potential client. The added security provided by this kind of service is invaluable to many, given that falling victim to a scam not only implies a loss of time, work, and money, but can also bring with it legal implications which leave the victim in a position from which it can be difficult to recover.
The Translator scam alert center is an area that will be used to provide organized, concise information regarding false job offers and other scams which may be aimed at or are affecting language professionals. Information provided in the center is based in part on reports made by ProZ.com members through the online support system and in the Scams forum. Scams are categorized by type and the outstanding characteristics of each are outlined, to make detection easier. General information on detecting and reacting to a potential scam is also included. ProZ.com members have the option of subscribing by email to the Scam alert center, to receive useful news and alerts of new scams as soon as they are detected.
The scam alert center is not intended to be a comprehensive collection of information in of itself. Rather, it is a collection of the type of information which a translator might need to quickly identify a message as a potential scam, with links to supporting information (Scam forum, ProZ.com Wiki, Articles, blog posts, in some cases external sites, etc.) on the scam and how to deal with it. It is intended to be a sort of hub for information, the first place a language professional would visit when interested in identifying a potential scam or learning about scams targeting language professionals in general. This area, as well as resources for the broader activity of risk management in general, are expected to grow moving forward and with the collaboration of the ProZ.com community.
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Russell Jones
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:39
 Member (2004)
Italian to English
MODERATOR |
Thank you Enrique.
It is too soon, of course, to judge how successful this initiative will prove to be but a more focused approach to this issue was certainly needed and I am sure it will be welcomed by many site Users.
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Petro2
South Africa
Local time: 10:39
Afrikaans to English
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Sherefedin MUSTAFA
Netherlands
Local time: 10:39
Member
English to Macedonian
+ ...
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Hi Enrique,
Hope this initiative will contribute to win the "war on scam and spam".
KR
Sherefedin
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Yolanda Broad
United States
Local time: 04:39
Member (2000)
French to English
+ ...
MODERATOR | | Will there be a link in the tabs to the Scam Center? | Feb 22 |
Hi Enrique,
Thanks for creating the Scam Alert Center. I've looked at the tabs at the top of ProZ.com pages and can't find a link to that Center. Can a link be added to one of the tabs so it can be easily located by site users in the future?
Yolanda
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Raquel Zyserman
Argentina
Local time: 05:39
Member (2011)
English to Spanish
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Hi, Enrique.
This will be a very useful feature to have at hand.
Kind regards.
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Francesca Chiarello
Italy
Local time: 10:39
Member (2011)
English to Italian
+ ...
| | very useful feature | Feb 22 |
Thank you!
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Egy Translator
Egypt
Local time: 10:39
Member (2011)
English to Arabic
+ ...
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ljilj
Serbia
Local time: 10:39
Serbian to English
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Henk Peelen
Netherlands
Local time: 10:39
Member (2002)
German to Dutch
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Krikor
United States
Local time: 04:39
Member (2008)
German to English
| | "Announcing a new feature: Translator scam alert center" | Feb 22 |
Many thanks, Enrique!
--Guy ('Krikor')
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Claire Thomas
United States
Local time: 04:39
Member (2006)
English
+ ...
| | list of non-payers | Feb 22 |
Could we also establish a list of clients who don't pay? I only got stuck once and it was a huge project.
Claire T.
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Enrique
Argentina
Local time: 05:39
Member (2006)
SITE STAFF TOPIC STARTER | | Non-paying real outsourcers are handled in the Blue Board | Feb 22 |
Claire Thomas wrote:
Could we also establish a list of clients who don't pay? I only got stuck once and it was a huge project.
Claire T. |
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Hi Claire,
Non-payment situations with normal outsourcers are managed in the Blue Board, while this new scam center is focused on scammers.
Of course someone who asks for translations with the idea of stealing them will be in the scam center, but in these cases the identities are less relevant because they are fake and they are easily changed. Patterns and modus operandi are far more relevant for scams.
Regards,
Enrique
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Vincent Lemma
Italy
Local time: 10:39
Italian to English
+ ...
| | Working in team for the common interest | Feb 22 |
That is what comes to mind with this initiative.
I think that a "word of mouth" situation adds confidence that someone out there is looking out after your interests.
Certainly time will tell how successful this initiative will be, and experience will help it evolve. I look forward to keeping an eye on this service, not on the hopes that a fellow translator will be writing of his woes, but in the awareness and strength that our professional corpus builds in unison to keep the workplace clean and vital.
Again, thanks Enrique for this tool that will undoubtedly prove its worth.
Cheers
[Edited at 2012-02-22 21:58 GMT]
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Pierluigi Bernardini
Italy
Local time: 10:39
Member (2011)
English to Italian
+ ...
| | Invaluable support | Feb 22 |
Thank you so much, Enrique.
This information, including risk management, is always useful, both on and off Proz.
Let's hope it will be a fundamental contribution in the never-ending fight against web trickery.
Pierluigi
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