SCAM: FEA / WTACA - and a new reincarnation, Successful Translators Organization (STO) / Intlangua
Maria Hoskins United Kingdom Local time: 02:41 Member (2011) Spanish to English + ...
Feb 8
Received this email today:
Dear,
Thank you for your email .
We are happy to inform you, FEA Translation and Language Solutions confirm acceptance on said subject concerning the cooperation with you, we agree to pay reasonable rate per source word.
We, FEA Translation & Language Solutions accept to cooperate only with WTACA verified members.
WTACA is an international Organization focusing on translation certifications, for more details you can visit their web site www.wtaca.eu.tc
Could you please send us a scanned copy of your WTACA membership, as soon as we receive it, we will send you our database form for translators which we would appreciate you completing, signing and returning to us.
We would be delighted that you join us as a new Translator, your role is critical in fulfilling the mission of our Company.
We, FEA Translation and Language Solutions are here to support you so, please know that you can call on us to assist you. We are looking forward to start working together.
We recognise that our greatest asset is our translators; It is our people who deliver brilliant work. Who give the company its personality, who shape its culture, and who innovate. That´s why we believe in treating our people with respect, looking after their welfare and allowing them the freedom to be themselves, to flourish, and maximise their potential moreover to produce the best results for the Company & clients. It is our policy to assist our people to enable them to achieve their aims and aspirations.
We are enthusiastically looking forward to this project and we would be pleased about having the opportunity to work together.
Your satisfaction is important to us. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
All the best,
___________________
Team External Partners
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It costs €100 to join WTACA and I've never heard of the dudes... I am relatively new to the translation field so I would welcome some input from more experienced members.
Maria
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Tony M France Local time: 03:41 Member French to English + ...
Don't touch it with a barge pole!
Feb 8
It certainly smells of a scam, and it is so poorly written, I for one would bin it at once; I wouldn't even have bothered to go and investigate the link!
Personally, I'd not waste another moment's time on it.
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We are happy to inform you, XXXX confirm acceptance on said subject concerning the cooperation with you, we agree to pay reasonable rate per source word.
If you did not contact them previously asking to be considered as service provider then this is a clear sign of danger. Thanks for a mail you didn't send? Confirmation for an non-existing application?
We, XXXX accept to cooperate only with WTACA verified members.
WTACA is an international Organization focusing on translation certifications, for more details you can visit their web site www.wtaca.eu.tc
Could you please send us a scanned copy of your WTACA membership, as soon as we receive it, we will send you our database form for translators which we would appreciate you completing, signing and returning to us.
... and now you need to pay a membership to be considered. Red lights ablaze by now.
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Tomás Cano Binder, CT Spain Local time: 03:41 Member (2005) English to Spanish + ...
Scam
Feb 8
Delete and forget. Thanks for sharing!
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If it looks like a scam, swims like a scam, and quacks like a scam, then it probably is a scam.
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Maria Hoskins United Kingdom Local time: 02:41 Member (2011) Spanish to English + ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you all!
Feb 8
Yes, it definitely quacks...
I was just wondering though whether WTACA is a front or to some extent genuine...
Maria
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Thayenga Germany Local time: 03:41 Member (2009) English to German + ...
Off to the bin right away
Feb 9
Tony M wrote:
It certainly smells of a scam, and it is so poorly written, I for one would bin it at once; I wouldn't even have bothered to go and investigate the link!
Personally, I'd not waste another moment's time on it.
You've spoken/written my mind, Tony.
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neilmac Spain Local time: 03:41 Member (2007) Spanish to English + ...
Googled WTACA
Feb 9
And all that came up was the WEST TEXAS AREA CHIEF'S ASSOCIATION! Nothing about anything remotely connected with translation.
Interestingly, the quality of the scamming texts is improving, with fewer mistakes and giveaways each time, which underlines the importance of reporting any suspect emails or similar overtures.
Thanks for sharing your concern
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Maria Hoskins United Kingdom Local time: 02:41 Member (2011) Spanish to English + ...
TOPIC STARTER
No Comment
Feb 10
Dear Maria del Pilar Hoskins,
You contacted us requesting a job, why are you giving a bad image about our company and talking on proz that we are scammers ?
We didn´t force you to work for us, did we ? You are violating an international right, it is called in Law Smearing in Public.
we are asking you to remove your comment on PROZ otherwise we will be obliged to go with you to the court.
we have your address : 4 Halsey Park,London Colney, Herts, AL2 1B
Please be aware this is our first and last warning.
All the best,
___________________
Team External Partners
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I'm awaiting a reply from ProZ
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kchansen Denmark Local time: 03:41 English to Danish
That's strange...
Feb 10
I checked the company's webpage and looked for some of their addresses on Google Maps. The addresses in the US, Australia, and England that I checked were all in residential neighbourhoods.
Impressing list of addresses, though - Australia, England, the U.S., France, Italy, Belgium! Still, they demand that you have a paid membership with a relatively unknown Translator's association with a website in the Turks and Caicos Islands (ends in ".tc"). And are quick to launch the intimidation campaign, too.
I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole even if they should turn out to be legitimate!
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khaldoun Dekmak United Kingdom Local time: 04:41 Arabic to English + ...
Use your judgement!
Feb 10
All I can say is: why would a company who says it is "the third largest integrated energy company in the U.S. and the fifth largest refiner in the world" require the membership of "Wtaca" which is not even recognized by google?
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Philippe Danjoux France Local time: 03:41 Member (2002) English to French + ...
Malicious site
Feb 11
Trying the link, the address is reputed malicious by my avast! Antivirus.
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Charlie Bavington United Kingdom Local time: 02:41 French to English
Coo, they sound dead scary
Feb 11
Maria Hoskins wrote:
You are violating an international right, it is called in Law Smearing in Public.
Hmmm. That kind of thing gives you the measure of what you're dealing with.
Nonetheless, I think in fairness you could have mentioned that you had contacted them first, that the email was not just spam.
I checked the wtaca website, and the jobs they are offering are NOT going to keep body and soul together in a place like London Colney (just up the road from me - in fact, I'll be there on Monday!). That alone is reason enough to avoid them and anyone associated with them. That and the lack of any contact details or merest indication of where they are even based (presumably in the eurozone).
It's certain an iffy kind of relationship with FEA, whoever they are. I personally wouldn't call it a scam, since no deception appears to be involved in getting you to part with your money, but theen I think the word scam is bandied around far to freely in general to cover anything a little unusual.
I'd still avoid it for about a dozen other reasons, though.
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lee roth United States Local time: 21:41 Romanian to English + ...
Dear Maria,
Feb 11
Your last post confirmed an older suspicion I had that some of the scams that target our industry originate within our industry, sent by less-than-honorable translators.
The threatening message they sent you lacks legal knowledge and is ill conceived (there is no such a "Law Smearing in Public" and what is the international "right" you violated ?)
I noticed that since I documented some of the scams, these crooks put my name on their "black list" and stopped sending me new offers, although my next-door neighbour who is a translator, keeps receiving them.
This is an overt act of discrimination on their part and I am going to sue them !
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Maria Hoskins United Kingdom Local time: 02:41 Member (2011) Spanish to English + ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks once again
Feb 11
Charlie Bavington wrote:
Maria Hoskins wrote:
You are violating an international right, it is called in Law Smearing in Public.
Hmmm. That kind of thing gives you the measure of what you're dealing with.
Nonetheless, I think in fairness you could have mentioned that you had contacted them first, that the email was not just spam.
I checked the wtaca website, and the jobs they are offering are NOT going to keep body and soul together in a place like London Colney (just up the road from me - in fact, I'll be there on Monday!). That alone is reason enough to avoid them and anyone associated with them. That and the lack of any contact details or merest indication of where they are even based (presumably in the eurozone).
It's certain an iffy kind of relationship with FEA, whoever they are. I personally wouldn't call it a scam, since no deception appears to be involved in getting you to part with your money, but theen I think the word scam is bandied around far to freely in general to cover anything a little unusual.
I'd still avoid it for about a dozen other reasons, though.
Well I'm relatively new to this gig only been translating for about a year now, though I'm not so young any more... It was just nice to have some confirmation and I never ceased to be impressed at the expertise in many fields shown by my colleagues.
As for replying to them, well I checked them out but McAfee also said they were suspect so I stopped right there and posted here because just wanted to be sure and alert others...
What are you doing in LC Charlie?
Probably scam is too strong a word but they're not bona fide clients either...
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