https://www.proz.com/forum/scams/270239-possible_scam_address_found_in_blueboard_and_online.html
This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings

Translation - art & business » Scams »
Possible scam address found in blueboard and online
Thread poster: Jeff Whittaker
Jeff Whittaker
Jeff Whittaker  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 00:41
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Jun 4, 2014

[Reminder: when you can't find a company in the BlueBoard by name, also do a search by the address and/or the phone number and/or contact name]

Today I received a brief e-mail message from an audio-visual & marketing company. The note basically asked "Could you give me your price per word?" Name, Company. That's it. Very suspicious, but perhaps they are short on time and just price shopping.

At any rate, I checked the BlueBoard and there was no entry. I checked the comp... See more
[Reminder: when you can't find a company in the BlueBoard by name, also do a search by the address and/or the phone number and/or contact name]

Today I received a brief e-mail message from an audio-visual & marketing company. The note basically asked "Could you give me your price per word?" Name, Company. That's it. Very suspicious, but perhaps they are short on time and just price shopping.

At any rate, I checked the BlueBoard and there was no entry. I checked the company's website and found their address (145-157 St John Street). When I entered the address into the BlueBoard search bar, a long list of companies (mostly very bad payers) came up - all using the same address. When I did a Google search for that address, I also found a number of non-translated related scams concerning that address.

So, is this address in London some sort of post office box or virtual office? Is its use automatically a red flag?



[Edited at 2014-06-04 13:55 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 
jotranslator
jotranslator  Identity Verified
Israel
Local time: 07:41
Russian to English
+ ...
That address is a "virtual office" Jun 4, 2014

Jeff Whittaker wrote:

At any rate, I checked the BlueBoard and there was no entry. I checked the company's website and found their address (145-157 St John Street). When I entered the address into the BlueBoard search bar, a long list of companies (mostly very bad payers) came up - all using the same address. When I did a Google search for that address, I also found a number of non-translated related scams concerning that address.

So, is this address in London some sort of post office box or virtual office? Is its use automatically a red flag?



[Edited at 2014-06-04 13:55 GMT]


That address belongs to a company that provides a "virtual office" service - things like mail forwarding, etc. So the translation company who contacted you is not actually at that address, it just uses it to forward its mail.

http://www.londonpresence.com

As one of the testimonials says, "Our central London office will make your business look
professional". Great.
 
Jeff Whittaker
Jeff Whittaker  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 00:41
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Virtual office Jun 4, 2014

Ok. So, its not necessarily a bad thing (although a lot of scam agencies seem to use it), but one should not feel confident that you have a real physical address for the company should something go wrong and you should instead seek out additional contact information before extending them credit.

Things like virtual offices and pre-paid numbers make things more complicated for us.


jotranslator wrote:


That address belongs to a company that provides a "virtual office" service - things like mail forwarding, etc. So the translation company who contacted you is not actually at that address, it just uses it to forward its mail.

http://www.londonpresence.com

As one of the testimonials says, "Our central London office will make your business look
professional". Great.


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Lucia Leszinsky[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Possible scam address found in blueboard and online


Translation news
» New project on feminist translation
(0 comments)
» Language Models Can Predict the Most Suitable Translation Techniques, Study Finds
(0 comments)
» Why Large Language Models are the future of manufacturing
(0 comments)


Forum rules
Help and orientation




Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »