New scam tactic? 投稿者: Peter Motte
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Peter Motte 
ベルギー
Local time: 20:35
2009に入会
オランダ語 から フラマン語
+ ...
In the past when I got an e-mail with a @gmail.com address, I could immediately delete it as having a high risk of being a scam.
But yesterday I received the same message from a @gmail.com address, mentioning my Proz.com profile, the sender has herself a Proz.com profile too, but not with a lot of information; on the same day I was contacted via the message function on LinkedIn by the same person, and that person has a LinkedIn profile too, but also with not a lot of information; and she a... See more In the past when I got an e-mail with a @gmail.com address, I could immediately delete it as having a high risk of being a scam.
But yesterday I received the same message from a @gmail.com address, mentioning my Proz.com profile, the sender has herself a Proz.com profile too, but not with a lot of information; on the same day I was contacted via the message function on LinkedIn by the same person, and that person has a LinkedIn profile too, but also with not a lot of information; and she also wanted to connect with me on LinkedIn.
That's a bit puzzling. Those gmail scammers usually only send an e-mail, and that's it.
This one is different.
Do they use AI agents nowadays to make false profiles and send messages around nowadays?
She wanted me to work for her, and the work offered is also typical for scammers.
I'll put the e-mail here, but leave out identity information:
BEGIN QUOTE
Dear Mr. Peter Motte.
This is X, a translation project coordinator. Nice to e-meet you here. I came across your profile on Proz. I’m reaching out to see if you might be interested in a potential collaboration.
We are currently seeking experienced English-to-Dutch translators and editors for an ongoing book translation project.
📘 Content: Books and articles
🕒 Flexible schedule
💰 Remote work with negotiable rates
If this might be of interest to you, I’d be happy to share more details.
Kind regards,
X
___________________________
X Y
Translation Project Coordinator
•
https://www.linkedin.com/in/---
https://www.proz.com/profile/----
END QUOTE ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
ドイツ
Local time: 20:35
2009に入会
英語 から ドイツ語
+ ...
| AI generated scams | Sep 27 |
First of all, a potential customer doesn't address you also by your first name. And the phrase, "nice to e-meet you" is typical for scammers. So are AI generated profiles on all relevant sites. And why does she want to connect with you on LinkedIn? To collect more "friends"?
If this person was interested in working with you, she would have provided more information on her profiles or at least in her email.
I might be mistaken, but this sounds like a scam.
I... See more First of all, a potential customer doesn't address you also by your first name. And the phrase, "nice to e-meet you" is typical for scammers. So are AI generated profiles on all relevant sites. And why does she want to connect with you on LinkedIn? To collect more "friends"?
If this person was interested in working with you, she would have provided more information on her profiles or at least in her email.
I might be mistaken, but this sounds like a scam.
I just happened to click on the ProZ profile link you provided and... ended up on my own profile. Be assured, I did not send you that email. And I definitely don't have a gmail account.
[Edited at 2026-09-27 15:47 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Peter Motte
ベルギー
Local time: 20:35
2009に入会
オランダ語 から フラマン語
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I consider it to be a scam, but... | Sep 27 |
First of all, a potential customer doesn't address you also by your first name.
I think that depends on the person involved.
And the phrase, "nice to e-meet you" is typical for scammers.
Not necesssarily. I think scammers use it because other people also use it.
And why does she want to connect with you on LinkedIn? To collect more "friends"?
On LinkedIn it are "contact", but that's a side note.
I don't know why.
If this person was interested in working with you, she would have provided more information on her profiles or at least in her email.
There certainly is a lack of information, but it might be a beginner.
I just happened to click on the ProZ profile link you provided and... ended up on my own profile. Be assured, I did not send you that email.
Of course. I deleted all private information. I've cut of everything that lead to the original profiles, in case it was not a scam and just a beginner.
And I definitely don't have a gmail account.
The gmail was what made me suspicious too.
Finally I decide not to contact her, and I have deleted her from my contacts.
| | | | Daryo
Local time: 19:35
セルビア語 から 英語
+ ...
Do I smell a rat? Or are these 'AI roses':
📘 Content: Books and articles
🕒 Flexible schedule
💰 Remote work with negotiable rate
Cust curious, has anyone got a keyboard where you can type these: 📘 🕒 💰
Or is there anyone who likes inputting manually codes for 📘 🕒 💰 and similar?
Thayenga wrote:
First of all, a potential customer doesn't address you also by your first name. And the phrase, "nice to e-meet you" is typical for scammers. So are AI generated profiles on all relevant sites. And why does she want to connect with you on LinkedIn? To collect more "friends"?
If this person was interested in working with you, she would have provided more information on her profiles or at least in her email.
I might be mistaken, but this sounds like a scam.
I just happened to click on the ProZ profile link you provided and... ended up on my own profile. Be assured, I did not send you that email. And I definitely don't have a gmail account.
[Edited at 2026-09-27 14:47 GMT]
The profile in the OP was https://www.proz.com/profile/----
When I tried it I also got my own profile
In fact if you go to https://www.proz.com/profile/ i.e. ask to see a profile without specifying which profile you want you get your own.
Same if you add any nonsense after 'https://www.proz.com/profile/'
like https://www.proz.com/profile/uuiuoiwhydkfsbksauylkjnk will get you your own profile (if you're logged in).
The joys of 'vibe-coding'? Just one more bug - 'bad requests' should throw an error message, not unasked answers! Proper error handling not worth the bother?
99% a scam.
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Peter Motte
ベルギー
Local time: 20:35
2009に入会
オランダ語 から フラマン語
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | The wrong profile is not an indication, because I deleted the profile | Sep 27 |
I just happened to click on the ProZ profile link you provided and... ended up on my own profile. Be assured, I did not send you that email. And I definitely don't have a gmail account.
[Edited at 2026-09-27 14:47 GMT]
The profile in the OP was https://www.proz.com/profile/----
When I tried it I also got my own profile
In fact if you go to https://www.proz.com/profile/ i.e. ask to see a profile without specifying which profile you want you get your own.
Same if you add any nonsense after 'https://www.proz.com/profile/'
like https://www.proz.com/profile/uuiuoiwhydkfsbksauylkjnk will get you your own profile (if you're logged in).
[/quote]
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Thayenga wrote:
And the phrase, "nice to e-meet you" is typical for scammers.
As is "reaching out" - if it's not a scam, it's a bottom feeder.
Lots of individual/private clients use Gmail, though. It's only suspicious if the sender purports to be a business.
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Why not ask for more info and see what happens?
I mean, sure, it could be a scam, and our spidey senses are always worth noting, but honestly I see nothing at this stage that is unequivocal proof one way or the other.
In fact, for me, the point that raises most eyebrows has passed almost unmentioned. Sure, AI could have been used to generate the email, "reaching out" makes me want to punch people too, I know som... See more Why not ask for more info and see what happens?
I mean, sure, it could be a scam, and our spidey senses are always worth noting, but honestly I see nothing at this stage that is unequivocal proof one way or the other.
In fact, for me, the point that raises most eyebrows has passed almost unmentioned. Sure, AI could have been used to generate the email, "reaching out" makes me want to punch people too, I know some people assume bad faith when they see gmail (I've been using it for 20 years mind you). But email on a Saturday? Yeah, bit odd. Unless of course they are catching up by working at home without access to the company email system, and they're having to do that because they are new, and slow (and so don't have an in-depth profile anywhere).
Bit devil's advocate-y for sure (and from me, who first proposed the Scams sub-forum a million years ago ) but why not respond briefly? If it is dodgy, then the info that ne'er-do-wells are starting to approach from more than one angle at once might be valuable. ▲ Collapse
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These guys must be connected trough whole day and than I am addicted...
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Charlie Bavington wrote:
Why not ask for more info and see what happens?
I mean, sure, it could be a scam, and our spidey senses are always worth noting, but honestly I see nothing at this stage that is unequivocal proof one way or the other.
Did you ask for more info? Did they reply? What were your conclusions? I hate threads that invite folk to contribute time and effort into giving an opinion (you did ask whether scammers use bots to create profiles) and then... nothing.
| | | | | Re: New scam tactic? | 18:47 |
A Gmail sender who also appears on ProZ and LinkedIn with a thin profile is exactly the case where I'd stop looking at how convincing the message is and check what can be verified. A few things: does the profile show any named company, and does that company have a website with a domain you can find yourself and contact details that match? Is there any real project information, such as language pair, word count, deadline or subject, or only a generic list of benefits? If you still want to test it... See more A Gmail sender who also appears on ProZ and LinkedIn with a thin profile is exactly the case where I'd stop looking at how convincing the message is and check what can be verified. A few things: does the profile show any named company, and does that company have a website with a domain you can find yourself and contact details that match? Is there any real project information, such as language pair, word count, deadline or subject, or only a generic list of benefits? If you still want to test it, a short reply asking for the company's registered name and billing address will tell you a lot, and a genuine beginner agency can answer that easily. ▲ Collapse
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