Pages in topic:   [1 2] >
Careful with Maiss Shanti- identity thief!!!
Thread poster: jacqueline Granado
jacqueline Granado
jacqueline Granado
Argentina
Local time: 08:46
English to Spanish
+ ...
Dec 7, 2012

This person tells you to sign a document allowing the company to show your data and if a client "picks you" and YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE, they'll receive the project ON YOUR BEHALF.

this is the mail she sends,
maiss shanti

I Work at languagemet company which is Known as one of the leading language services providing with clients based all over the world .Ever since it started. We cover translations for all languages. Our skillful translators and linguists are chos
... See more
This person tells you to sign a document allowing the company to show your data and if a client "picks you" and YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE, they'll receive the project ON YOUR BEHALF.

this is the mail she sends,
maiss shanti

I Work at languagemet company which is Known as one of the leading language services providing with clients based all over the world .Ever since it started. We cover translations for all languages. Our skillful translators and linguists are chosen for their fluency and expertise in a wide range of market sectors along with their cultural and commercial awareness ensuring that your translation is not mere words.

this is the website of the company you can check it http://www.languagemet.com/languagemet/index.php
looking forward to hearing from you,
Kind regards.

this is the document they sent you:
Authorization and Agreement

Our company would like to ask for your permission giving us the
authority to send your CV and cover letter to our clients.

• Our policy does not allow direct contact between the freelancer and
our clients.
• Your contact details will be replaced by a free email where projects
will be sent to.
• Our company will have full authority dealing with your CV by
marketing it and receiving projects on your behalf.
• Any other information or certificates of you might be sent by email to
our clients if needed.
• The projects we receive on your behalf will be directly sent to you.
• If not available, our team will send the project to another freelancer.

If you agree to these terms, we will instantly start working on your
CV giving you the chance to have your projects delivered to you without
making any effort. This agreement makes you one of our team and
consequently an active one. This would also make you a priority in any
development plan in the near future. This agreement will facilitate your
work in a crowded translation market with a high level of competition.
Signing this agreement means you agree on all the above-mentioned terms.

Your signature
CAREFULL, I fell for it and I do not know how this will affect me...
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Irving Reyes
 
Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:46
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
How it will affect you Dec 7, 2012

jacqueline Granado wrote:


CAREFULL, I fell for it and I do not know how this will affect me...


They will pretend that they are you. They will use your credentials to convince the end client to give them the project. The end client will look at your CV, your credentials and the cheap rate that will be proposed, and they assign the project to you. Except, that it is not you, who will get it, but the scammers.
They, in turn, can do various things:
1. ask the end client for an advance payment, and when they get the money, they disappear. The end client has your name and other info, so they can look you up and go after you for the return of their money, or the translation that were promised to get.
2. run the client's text through machine translation, or a dirt-cheap translation outfit, and submit it to the client, as if it was your work. If they client doesn't realize the problem, the scammers get their money. If the client does realize the problem, it will demand remedies (refund, free corrections), again, from you. Since the free email address the scammers used to pretend to be you will be abandoned after they extracted money from the end client, the end client will try to find you in other ways. Since they have your CV, they have plenty of info to find you.

I am not sure what you can do at this point, except to brace yourself for whatever may be coming. You can certainly try telling these scammers that you terminate the "contract" immediately, but it will probably mean nothing. I am not a lawyer, but that contract may not stand up in court anyway. The problem is that they don't care, they already have your info, so they may be laughing all the way to the bank.
Katalin


 
jacqueline Granado
jacqueline Granado
Argentina
Local time: 08:46
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I feel stupid Dec 7, 2012

I´ll keep my fingers crossed. The only thing I can do is to write who they are and what they do wherever I can. Thank you so much for the info.


 
Enrique Cavalitto
Enrique Cavalitto  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 08:46
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
Scam alert issued Dec 7, 2012

A scam alert report was sent about this case.

ProZ.com members can subscribe to this service to receive via email all alerts issued or a weekly digest.

Regards,
Enr
... See more
A scam alert report was sent about this case.

ProZ.com members can subscribe to this service to receive via email all alerts issued or a weekly digest.

Regards,
Enrique
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Dr Sarai Pahla, MBChB
Dr Sarai Pahla, MBChB
Germany
Local time: 12:46
Member (2012)
Japanese to English
+ ...
Make sure you have a backup online presence Dec 8, 2012

Jacqueline,

I was also subject to a scam like this by another company earlier in the year, but with some positive outcomes, even though I was unable to prosecute. Companies will try to look you up online when they receive CVs with incomplete information - it helps if you have a blog or a website with your actual contact details (and an up-to-date profile on LinkedIn). On this same site, you can also put up warnings with regards to the fraudulent use for your email.

Hop
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Jacqueline,

I was also subject to a scam like this by another company earlier in the year, but with some positive outcomes, even though I was unable to prosecute. Companies will try to look you up online when they receive CVs with incomplete information - it helps if you have a blog or a website with your actual contact details (and an up-to-date profile on LinkedIn). On this same site, you can also put up warnings with regards to the fraudulent use for your email.

Hope that helps - I know it won't completely erase the damage done to your reputation, but it will definitely help companies to find the "real" you.
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Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:46
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Two types of CVs Dec 8, 2012

Another way to protect yourself is to have 2 different types of CVs.

When contacted by a new client and after extensive research, I will send them my CV without the contact details, which will later be available upon request. This might be inconvenient, but it's definately safer. And after all, they do then have my secondary email address if they wish to contact me for serious and legitimate business reasons.

And I never agree to any company marketing my CV.

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Another way to protect yourself is to have 2 different types of CVs.

When contacted by a new client and after extensive research, I will send them my CV without the contact details, which will later be available upon request. This might be inconvenient, but it's definately safer. And after all, they do then have my secondary email address if they wish to contact me for serious and legitimate business reasons.

And I never agree to any company marketing my CV.

Stay safe!
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Odette_Clara (X)
Odette_Clara (X)
Local time: 12:46
Romanian to German
+ ...
similar email Dec 10, 2012

I had a similar email, but from the address [email protected]. I have asked for which company he is working but he avoided replying to it. But he still asked me to sign the agreement, so I did not sign.

 
Elzbieta Petlicka (X)
Elzbieta Petlicka (X)  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:46
Danish to Polish
+ ...
Looking at the company's website Jan 4, 2013

I noticed that they inform their customers that: "Languagemet DIRECTLY connects you with freelancers for EFFECTIVE work and SATISFACTION based on your request" (http://www.languagemet.com/languagemet/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=27).

I have never encountered an agency that would let the client contac
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I noticed that they inform their customers that: "Languagemet DIRECTLY connects you with freelancers for EFFECTIVE work and SATISFACTION based on your request" (http://www.languagemet.com/languagemet/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=27).

I have never encountered an agency that would let the client contact the freelancer directly - the risk of the client paying the freelancer directly and omitting the agency is just too obvious. It seem to confirm your suspicions that they are trying to impersonate the translators.

At the same time, in your email it was clearly stated that the company's "policy does not allow direct contact between the freelancer and our clients". So they seem to change their version according to what suits them most.

Also, they don't have a typical contact form for translators or "Work for us"/"Freelance opportunities" section - there's just a "Send CV" tab with no indication of what language combinations they work with or what requirements a translator needs to meet in order to be approved (they just mention "a stringent selection process" with no details).

Thanks for sharing the experience and all the tips. I noticed they were banned on BlueBoard, hope that will help some of us avoid falling into the trap.
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Adrian MM. (X)
Adrian MM. (X)
Local time: 12:46
French to English
+ ...
Fraus omnia vitiat = fraud vitiates everything Jan 5, 2013

Katalin Horváth McClure wrote:

I am not a lawyer, but that contract may not stand up in court anyway.

Katalin


If the contract is bogus, then the contract principle is 'axiomatic' in the Common Law, namely of the US/Can/UK/India/Oz/NZ etc. that 'fraud vitiates (invalidates) everything' except in respect of third party rights' acquired bona fide.

http://www.washburnresearch.org/archive/DieboldTSFraud/DeboldHasNoNASEDNumbers.pdf

[Edited at 2013-01-05 16:01 GMT]


 
Sian Cooper
Sian Cooper  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:46
French to English
+ ...
In memoriam
They are also on other sites Jan 7, 2013

Hi, guys, I got this mail today (in Spam actually) and decided to investigate it, I looked on... well, I don't know if I'm allowed to say (can we mention other web sites if it is to help avoid scammers and identity theft??): a well known professional connection network site.

I found a thread there discussing this company's poor performance, scam and their identity theft; it also refe
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Hi, guys, I got this mail today (in Spam actually) and decided to investigate it, I looked on... well, I don't know if I'm allowed to say (can we mention other web sites if it is to help avoid scammers and identity theft??): a well known professional connection network site.

I found a thread there discussing this company's poor performance, scam and their identity theft; it also referenced the Proz scam wiki, http://wiki.proz.com/wiki/index.php/Translator_scam_alert_reports

Also a poor translator lady who has had her identity appropriated by them, who also warns us about Amena Abo Amra under "people", you'll see. Amena Amra aka [email protected]; alarmingly, this person now has a Premium account on that other site.

The company can also use contact name Fedaa Ross and Reta Sam, [email protected]

They also send mails to translators via another well known translation forum, where their nefarious activities are also documented.

Certainly, it is a well-enough known scam that translators who make any effort at self-protection should not fall into the trap, but we can all make mistakes!
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Xavier Omilanowski
Xavier Omilanowski  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:46
Member (2010)
English to French
via Skype as well... Jan 31, 2013

They found me through Skype yesterday. After a couple a lines exchanged, I checked their name on ProZ, found this post, sent the link to them on Skype for confirmation and to give them a chance to deny, but strangely enough they just stopped writing to me...

 
Berenice Font
Berenice Font  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 05:46
Member (2010)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Contacted through Skype Feb 16, 2013

They also contacted me through Skype today. Their English was very poor and were asking for too much information. I asked them how they had found me but they gave no answer.

I saw this forum and immediately blocked them. Is there a chance they could still do something with my information?


 
Josephine Gardiner
Josephine Gardiner  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:46
Spanish to English
+ ...
The clue is in the style Feb 17, 2013

The one thing that seems to be consistent across all the scams I've seen posted on ProZ is that the English is always very poor and/or unnatural. So my advice to anyone whose native language is not English is to get a native speaker to read through any email you are even slightly suspicious about. Ask them 'does this sound natural?' (I would do the same thing if I had any doubts about an email written in my source language).


The email quoted in the original post should ring
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The one thing that seems to be consistent across all the scams I've seen posted on ProZ is that the English is always very poor and/or unnatural. So my advice to anyone whose native language is not English is to get a native speaker to read through any email you are even slightly suspicious about. Ask them 'does this sound natural?' (I would do the same thing if I had any doubts about an email written in my source language).


The email quoted in the original post should ring alarm bells straight away - the first sentence, with its clumsy style and odd capitalizations, is obviously not written by a native English speaker. The second sentence has no verb. The third sentence is completely different and is the standard type of marketing blurb that agencies use (the U.S spelling of 'skillful' is the only distinctive thing), perhaps it has simply been lifted from another site. There are a couple of other odd features in the terms and conditions bit.

God help us though if scammers get wise to this and start employing people who can write.

All the best....
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JAPENG Technical Translator
JAPENG Technical Translator  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 17:16
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
+ ...
Got one today... Mar 8, 2013

This is the mail I received few minutes back which brought me to this thread...

Hello,

Let me first introduce myself, I'm Ola Dawood , a projects manager
from Languagemet for translations, we are a company base in Gaza,
(Palestine) specialized in professional translations and interpretations.

We have a project of around 35000 words with the following details:

- We will send you daily batches.
- The period of the project is 15
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This is the mail I received few minutes back which brought me to this thread...

Hello,

Let me first introduce myself, I'm Ola Dawood , a projects manager
from Languagemet for translations, we are a company base in Gaza,
(Palestine) specialized in professional translations and interpretations.

We have a project of around 35000 words with the following details:

- We will send you daily batches.
- The period of the project is 15 days.
- The project starts today March 8th, 2013.
- The first batch is around 2025 words and deadline is Monday, March 11th, 2013
- Subject of the material is Cosmetic.
- Payment is via PayPal within 40 days.
Please confirm availability in order to send you the first files and the
references.to start proceeding

*This message is being sent to many translators, and we will choose the
quickest one.

--
Ola Dawood
Project Manager
Language Met Inc.
Gaza, Palestine
_______________________________

I declined the job after checking their BB record and this thread. [Thanks again!]

Funny thing is, the email ID of the sender was -- [email protected]
However, when I saw the original, [You can check the original email ID of the sender by clicking "Show Original" which is in the drop down box, the one you click to reply]
the original email ID of the sender was-- [email protected]

Be Careful!
Lets Stay safe!
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Benedetta Monti
Benedetta Monti
Italy
Local time: 12:46
English to Italian
+ ...
Got the almost the same email.... Mar 11, 2013

I got almost the same email from Wael Younis. He sent me two files to be translated in Italian, and wanted them back yesterday. The text was long and PDF files. I searched the net before beginning the assignment, and found your advice on this company. I told him I could not complete the project for him because of the bad judgements on his company, and he stopped writing me email.

So now they have changed their strategy: they send files to translate.......without mentioning they are
... See more
I got almost the same email from Wael Younis. He sent me two files to be translated in Italian, and wanted them back yesterday. The text was long and PDF files. I searched the net before beginning the assignment, and found your advice on this company. I told him I could not complete the project for him because of the bad judgements on his company, and he stopped writing me email.

So now they have changed their strategy: they send files to translate.......without mentioning they are working for this company!!!!

Be aware, fellow Translators!!

Benedetta
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Careful with Maiss Shanti- identity thief!!!







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