ProZ.com Translation Forums

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | They do what they always do

Katarzyna Slowikova — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 16:26:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Katarzyna Slowikova
Post title: They do what they always do

[quote]Josephine Bacon wrote:

I have received several of these "very wonderful offers" as an interpreter to go to some far off place, often in the USA or Africa, for a conference about racism, slavery, prostitution, drug addiction, etc. etc. (you name it). I was even approached once by telephone from some woman who claimed the conference was being held in Guinea. I assume they want you to pay in advance for air fares etc. but am not sure what they will get out of it, with translation it is obvious. [/quote]

I suppose they send you a check in advance, with some fabulous sum on it, just as they do with translators and all other targeted professions (I've heard about DJs, web designers, all kinds of online sellers...). Same pattern, don't overestimate these guys.
If you additionally land in some god forgotten place in Africa, they may have some schadenfreunde but I don't think they care much. ;)

[quote]I do not know how to check IP addresses origins, maybe someone can tell me.
[/quote]

Do you mean something like this:
[url removed]
??

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Interpreters also scammed

Josephine Bacon — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 06:47:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Josephine Bacon
Post title: Interpreters also scammed

I have received several of these "very wonderful offers" as an interpreter to go to some far off place, often in the USA or Africa, for a conference about racism, slavery, prostitution, drug addiction, etc. etc. (you name it). I was even approached once by telephone from some woman who claimed the conference was being held in Guinea. I assume they want you to pay in advance for air fares etc. but am not sure what they will get out of it, with translation it is obvious.

By the way, watch out for certain street addresses in London, such St. John's Street EC1 and Old Gloucester Road WC1, they are accommodation addresses, there are others, I am happy to check for anyone who would like me to do so whether an address is genuine or not. I have warned ProZ about job posters who are giving their address as an accommodation address. For instance, there is someone who claims to have an agency in E.1 but Translation Directory has helpfully shown that the IP address is in the Philippines! I do not know how to check IP addresses origins, maybe someone can tell me.

Josephine Bacon

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Pity!

Taña Dalglish — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 20:15:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Taña Dalglish
Post title: Pity!

It is also a pity that the scammers are using actual addresses, e.g. in this case (I am not sure whether mention may have been made in some other thread - and if it has, apologies for this oversight):

630 Gramatan Ave 4W,
Mt Vernon, NY,10552
United States

a legitimate address of a well-respected doctor (podiatrist), I am sure, but I am not certain that I am allowed to post his name here. He also has a website. The actual telephone number listed for this individual's practice at 630 Gramatan Avenue 4W is: Phone: [phone removed] . I wonder if anyone should inform this individual that his address is being used unlawfully? By Googling the address, the Doctor's name will come up.

Furthermore, [phone removed] in a number in Inglewood, California, not New York. [url removed]

Regards.

Taña Dalglish
ProZ.com - The Translators Workplace
[url removed]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Wow, learned how to copy paste!

Katarzyna Slowikova — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 14:09:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Katarzyna Slowikova
Post title: Wow, learned how to copy paste!

[quote]liviu roth wrote:

From: Terri Adam
Date: July 5, 2016 at 12:45:06 PM CDT
To:
Subject: TRANSLATION JOB.....

--
I would like to translate a 12,412-word and 17,000 word projects from English into Romanian. The documents titled (1)Abuse and Addiction, (2)Solution to Abuse and Addiction.
All applicants must be native speakers and must have a strong command of English. All applicants must have verifiable proof of translation expertise in the language pair in question. NO teams or agencies, NO exceptions. Bid offer: $0.20 USD per Word, Turnaround: 20 business days upon awarding the each project.
Get back to me if you are available for details.

Regards,
Terri Adam
630 Gramatan Ave 4W,
Mt Vernon, NY,10552
United States
[phone removed]

[/quote]

Big progress from that "I will like to know if you Will be chance" email! Apparently they've learned how to copy paste from genuine online offers... smart boys, but not smart enough to change that now notorious name... ok, won't give them any more advice. ;)
Thanks a lot, Liviu, for posting it!

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Terri Adam moved to NY, ! :-)))

Liviu-Lee Roth — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 00:29:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Liviu-Lee Roth
Post title: Terri Adam moved to NY, ! :-)))

From: Terri Adam
Date: July 5, 2016 at 12:45:06 PM CDT
To:
Subject: TRANSLATION JOB.....

--
I would like to translate a 12,412-word and 17,000 word projects from English into Romanian. The documents titled (1)Abuse and Addiction, (2)Solution to Abuse and Addiction.
All applicants must be native speakers and must have a strong command of English. All applicants must have verifiable proof of translation expertise in the language pair in question. NO teams or agencies, NO exceptions. Bid offer: $0.20 USD per Word, Turnaround: 20 business days upon awarding the each project.
Get back to me if you are available for details.

Regards,
Terri Adam
630 Gramatan Ave 4W,
Mt Vernon, NY,10552
United States
[phone removed]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Mr. Varela Strikes Again

Alba Rivas — Mon, 09 May 2016 17:22:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Alba Rivas
Post title: Mr. Varela Strikes Again

THIS IS THE E-MAIL I RECEIVED FROM JOHN VARELA. THIS TIME THE TOPIC OF THE ARTICLES IS FINANCIAL MATTERS.

"I am looking for an accomplished and experienced translator who is able to translate documents for pay. (Cifm project 8441 words), and cifcn project 19660 words.
The documents will be translated from English to Spanish.
The selected translator will not be engaged to do research - translation only. Cifm article is ready for translation while Cifcn is not ready yet but definitely will be ready for translation before due date of the cifn project which is 15th June 2016.

When you respond to this email please introduce yourself, describe your previous translation experience, attach excerpt/s of your work if possible and write what is the per word charges that you would like to be paid and total charges for both documents,

The selected translator will have to sign a contract agreement before we begin. This is a translation condition.

Please do not forget to write what you would like to be paid for the job. I will not consider your response if your rate is not included.

Thanks."

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING THIS FORUM GOING. I FOUND IT WHEN I WAS SEARCHING THE NAME OF JOHN VARELA, CONSULTANT, NEW YORK. IT IS GOOD TO STAND TOGETHER FOR OUR OWN PROTECTION!

Alba Rivas

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | beware these scammers

CVaresi — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 01:47:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: CVaresi
Post title: beware these scammers

Within 2 days I got contacted by 3 individuals who wanted translations done. They didn't have any specific information about themselves, other than the document they sent me, and the demand to act rapidly and they wanted to pay in advance. Their grammar was suspicious, and the emails from the 3 had the same tacky spelling mistakes. "Roberto from Kansas. Later he stated he was on a peace mission in the Ukraine, he wanted my resume and address to send a check. When I became suspicious I started looking their numbers up, and they were commercial numbers in NJ that are for sale.

I told Mr Torres I needed to ask him several questions regarding the assignment that was too long to ask over a short email. He sent me a number to call, and when he answered over speaker phone, the individual claiming he is Roberto from Kansas, 'in a peace mission in the Ukraine', spoke with a heavy french African accent. When I questioned that, he hung up, so I sent him an email saying the assignment was cancelled. He responded saying I'm an idiot. Very telling for the total lack of scruples of these individuals.

The names of the individual who sent the document stated in the title of this thread: Racism and Human Trafficking, Teen Pregnancy, and Conflict Management. I also received a document on HIV, and one on Racism.

Hi,

My name is James M Burke, I will like to know if you Will be chance to translate documents for me from English to German?
Email back for more details.

Thanks.
James M Burke,
12 Ellsworth Dr
Princeton Jct,
NJ [phone removed]
USA
[phone removed]

Be careful with these guys.

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Definitely still active, and with Multiple Personality Disorder

texjax DDS PhD — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 19:29:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: texjax DDS PhD
Post title: Definitely still active, and with Multiple Personality Disorder

I received the following email yesterday, and a quick search on the phone number brought me to this thread.

TRANSLATION JOB

Hi,

My name is James M Burke, I will like to know if you Will be chance to translate documents for me from English to Italian?
Email back for more details.

Thanks.
James M Burke,
12 Ellsworth Dr
Princeton Jct,
NJ [phone removed]
USA
[phone removed]

[email removed]

[Edited at 2015-07-26 19:35 GMT]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Still active - John Varela

Coral Getino — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 11:45:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Coral Getino
Post title: Still active - John Varela

I got this last night,

Greetings to you,
I am in search for a qualified translator that can work on my documents for me.
I have two Articles for translation.
(1) RACISM AND PREJUDICE (17,266 WORDS)
(2) CONFLICT RESOLUTION. (23,515 WORDS)
Article 1 is available now for translation but article 2 is still with the Editor but i am sure it will be ready soon.
Both Articles are meant for seminar to Educate masses on Racism and other issues related to it.
The Articles are meant to be translated from English to Spanish.
Deadline for the Racism and Prejudice Article is 10th August, 2015 while deadline for Conflict Resolution Article will be determined when you receive the document but i am sure you will have enough time for you to translate it.
However, I will like you to confirm your availability so i can provide a copy of the Racism and Prejudice article for you and other information required.
I will be waiting to read back from you.

Regards,
John Varela,
36 W73rd n 10,New York,
NY,10023
[phone removed]
[email removed]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Dovar Anderson scammer

Lisa Grayson — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 20:09:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Lisa Grayson
Post title: Dovar Anderson scammer

I received a variation on the same e-mail that Lawrence Zhang mentioned:
---
Dovar Anderson
260 N. Oak Avenue Apt 13
Pasadena CA 91107
[phone removed]

Good Day,

My name is Dovar Anderson; I am looking for a professional translator to translate my article to Spanish language. I got your contact information from American translator association directory. Email me your quote, payment method and contact details. My email address is [email removed]

---
The attached document was a 1,115-word article on Nelson Mandela. Note that the e-mail address in my message is different from the one in Lawrence's ( [email removed] ), so maybe "Dovar" is using different accounts for different languages.

I smell spam and scam.

Lisa Grayson
Chicago, IL USA

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Thank you for posting!

Crtranslations — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 18:37:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Crtranslations
Post title: Thank you for posting!

I received the exact same email from Joh Varela Consulting ( doesn't even bother to switch identity a little, lol)
I'm new at this so I'll check here before I waste my time with scammers.

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | John Varela Scam?

Alessandra S. — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 20:59:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Alessandra S.
Post title: John Varela Scam?

I recently received the e-mail below. It looked strange to me, so I checked and I found all your comments.
And I am wondering... if this is a scam, what exactly do they get out of it?
I mean... if they say they are going to pay in advance, and you decide not to work on the documents (and even less send them) until you receive the payment, how can they 'get you'?

--
Greetings to you, I am in search for a qualified translator that can work on my documents for me.
I have two Articles for translation.
(1) RACISM AND PREJUDICE (17,266 WORDS)
(2) CONFLICT RESOLUTION. (23,515 WORDS)
Article 1 is available now for translation but article 2 is still with the Editor but i am sure it will be ready soon.
Both Articles are meant for seminar to Educate masses on Racism and other issues related to it.
The Articles are meant to be translated from English to Spanish.
Deadline for the Racism and Prejudice Article is 20th July, 2015 while deadline for Conflict Resolution Article will be determined when you receive the document but i am sure you will have enough time for you to translate it.
However, I will like you to confirm your availability so i can provide a copy of the Racism and Prejudice article for you and other information required.
I will be waiting to read back from you.

Regards,
John Varela,
36 W73rd n 10,New York,
NY,10023
[phone removed]
[email removed]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | is this another scammer again?

Lawrence Zhang — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 21:55:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Lawrence Zhang
Post title: is this another scammer again?

I received an email below 3 times in a day this week:

Dovar Anderson
260 N. Oak Avenue 13
Pasadena Ca 91107
[phone removed]

Good Day,

My name is Dovar Anderson, I am looking for a professional translator to work on my article. I got your contact information from American translator association directory and would love to know your cost to translate my article to your area of authority. Would like to know the time frame to translate my work? What is your mode of payment? My email address is [email removed] .

Sincerely Yours,

Dovar Anderson.

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | same scammer under the name John Varela Consulting

PaulinaTerp — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 01:00:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: PaulinaTerp
Post title: same scammer under the name John Varela Consulting

Request for English to Spanish

1st email

Thanks for your response and availability Below are the details for the first document that is ready for translation.
The second document is still under review and it will be sent to you as soon as its ready but i want quote for the 2 documents as the payment will be issued together to avoid delay when the document is ready.

Title: RACISM AND PREJUDICE
Number of words: 17266
Deadline:7th July, 2015
Mode of Payment: Bank Check (payable in advance)
Audience : General Public

A copy of the Racism and prejudice is document is attached, i also attach copy of the conflict management i have with me though its not the final copy it is still under review and it will have a total of 23,515 words or thereabout when the final copy is ready. The deadline for the conflict management document will be one month from the day you receive the final copy.
Kindly email me with the quote per word and the total charges for both documents using 17266words for the first document and 23515 words for the second document. Also attach you C.V for review.

2nd email

I am glad you are very interested in working on my document. I have seen your quotes and also your Resume. Your terms are accepted
I am okay with them and i am ready to award these two documents to you.
However I would like you to sign this agreement attached to this email and return a signed copy to me.
Also i would like you to get back to me with the following information so i can forward it to our financial associate in order to initiate payment and have it mailed to you so you can commence work on the first document and wait till i send you the second document as soon as its ready. I want you to know that the deadline given to you is for the first document and deadline for the second document will be one month from the day you receive the document.

Kindly get back to me with the following information for payment......Full name to be written on the check, Full mailing address where you will like to receive the check, (P.O.BOX not accepted), total charges (for both documents for confirmation purpose), Valid and in use phone number.

I will be waiting to have all the information required and also the signed agreement.

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Tychonick Bay

Nils Boulianne — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 14:15:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Nils Boulianne
Post title: Tychonick Bay

Scammer address:

These homes haven't been built yet.

[url removed]

[url removed]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | same here

scarpent — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 19:26:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: scarpent
Post title: same here

I received the same email.

Terri Adam,
38 Tychonick Bay,
Winnipeg,Manitoba,
Canada
[phone removed]

646 is New York area code

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | same email, same files from same Terri Adam

Lawrence Zhang — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 01:55:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Lawrence Zhang
Post title: same email, same files from same Terri Adam

@Tsogt Gombosuren

Last Sunday, I received exactly same email except 'translating from English to Chinese', he even didn't bother to mention Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese until I asked 2nd time. Stopped further communication with him.

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Another scammer under the name of Terri Adam

Tsogt Gombosuren — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 23:32:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Tsogt Gombosuren
Post title: Another scammer under the name of Terri Adam

I have received the following mail:

"Greetings to you, I am in search for a qualified translator that can work on my documents for me.
I have two Articles for translation.
(1) RACISM AND PREJUDICE (17,266 WORDS)
(2) CONFLICT RESOLUTION. (23,515 WORDS)
Article 1 is available now for translation but article 2 is still with the Editor but i am sure it will be ready soon.
Both Articles are meant for seminar to Educate masses on Racism and other issues related to it.
The Articles are meant to be translated from English to Mongolian.
Deadline for the Racism and Prejudice Article is 7th July, 2015 while deadline for Conflict Resolution Article will be determined when you receive the document but i am sure you will have enough time for you to translate it.
However, I will like you to confirm your availability so i can provide a copy of the Racism and Prejudice article for you and other information required.
I will be waiting to read back from you.

Regards,
Terri Adam,
38 Tychonick Bay,
Winnipeg,Manitoba,
Canada
[phone removed] "

And, when I answered it with my rates, I got the following offer (to pay in advance, lol):

"Dear Tsogt,

Thanks for your response and availability Below are the details for the first document that is ready fortranslation.
The second document is still under review and it will be sent to you as soon as its ready but i want quote for the 2 documents as the payment will be issued together to avoid delay when the document is ready.

Title: RACISM AND PREJUDICE
Number of words: 17266
Deadline:7th July, 2015
Mode of Payment: Bank Check (payable in advance)
Audience : General Public

A copy of the Racism and prejudice is document is attached, i also attach copy of the conflict management i have with me though its not the final copy it is still under review and it will have a total of 23,515 words or thereabout when the final copy is ready. The deadline for the conflict management document will be one month from the day you receive the final copy.
Kindly email me with the quote per word and the total charges for both documents using 17266words for the first document and 23515 words for the second document. Also attach you C.V for review.

Regards,
Terri Adam,
38 Tychonick Bay,
Winnipeg,Manitoba,
Canada
[phone removed] "

He is definitely a scammer. No client would want to pay such hefty amount in advance. Ha!

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Nick Ungefug - easy to remember

Danik 2014 — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 19:57:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Danik 2014
Post title: Nick Ungefug - easy to remember

From all these scammers, Nick Ungefug at least chose a revealing surname: Un(ge)fug.

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | A scam? No ways, it's a perfectly legitimate

Daryo — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 10:11:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Daryo
Post title: A scam? No ways, it's a perfectly legitimate

data harvesting business ... oops, sorry an "Educational Company"!

[quote]Satoru Sakaguchi wrote:

Dear All

I also received an email from "Micheal Horn" recently.

.....

"Micheal Horn
14, Fitzhardinge Street,
West Central,
London, W1H 6DH
[phone removed] "

Internet search tells me that this address is that of British Heart Foundation and that "070" phone numbers are often used by scammers.

Now, I have concluded this is definitely a scam. ....
[/quote]

[url removed]

Agency:
SecureData Collecting Inc.
Established: 2009

Agency Type:
Educational Company

E-Mail Address:
[email removed]

Address:
Flat 116, Guinness Court, Mansell Street E1 8AQ

[note their contact number [phone removed] and the address , if not the real one, surely much "closer to home"]

an "educational Company" targeting not only translators

[url removed]

or maybe not, in fact it's a charity:

someone even created a "Heart Foundation" website (unfinished site, many empty templates still left) with the same 070 contact number,

CONTACT US
FOUNDATION HEART
14, Fitzhardinge Street,
West Central,
London, W1H 6DH
[phone removed]

and a contact email for giving donations [email removed] ,

but so clumsily that it revealed another element:
Google helpfully indicated the location from which this site was created:

[url removed] @33.6753896,-117.8200937,18z

BTW 070 numbers can be used to hide the real number you are calling but are designed primarily to avoid missing calls by redirecting calls to any number availed depending on the time of the day, in which country your are, which mobile has reception etc - 070 numbers are in themselves no more or less "suspicious" than any landline or mobile number. But they can be very expensive to call, if you try out of curiosity - another way to make a donation to this "Educational Company"?

[Edited at 2015-06-05 10:43 GMT]

some useful information regarding 070 / +4470 numbers:

[url removed]

[Edited at 2015-06-05 11:47 GMT]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Myriam Sales

memond — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 03:07:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: memond
Post title: Myriam Sales

I also received this e-mail from Myriam Sales this week, and I am glad I checked on the website of ProZ because I was suspicious. She wanted to translate (20, 225 words) a book she claimed to have written from English to French. But all the e-mails I have received from her were so badly written in English. Obviously, English is not her mother tongue. Also, the address she gave me was the address of a Heart Institute in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...

I think I'll contact the Heart Institute to warn them that someone uses their address in a fraudulent way.

I do not know where she got the e-mail she used to contact me because I am new in this translation business, and I have just acquired this new e-mail address. I am on my way to set-up my small freelance company. In fact, I gave this e-mail address only to the UN Volunteer Program...to nobody else.

I have not lost any money or 'translation time' per se, but I have spent my time to respond to her emails and even to write a contract and sent her this contract. Also, I regret having sent her my business address and phone number.

They target translators because they are vulnerable people. To survive, many translators are willing to accept anything. This is quite sad.

Best

Martine

[Edited at 2015-06-05 03:25 GMT]

[Modifié le 2015-06-05 15:10 GMT]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Myriam Sales again

Naomi Long — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 07:44:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Naomi Long
Post title: Myriam Sales again

Just got an email from Myriam Sales with the same wording mentioned earlier in this thread, and so - as I've had non-payment issues with Greenlandic Translations (also mentioned somewhere on this forum by other people), I have finally got wise and started looking people up. So thank you all very much, I will proceed no further with "her". Oh btw, they are working under the scammer name Julia Davids now, but in the second mail I got the carbon copy of the Myriam Sales message, with the address given as Myriam Sales.

[Edited at 2015-06-04 07:46 GMT]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Another one here contacted by Louis Gerrard

LisaVGarcia — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 10:30:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: LisaVGarcia
Post title: Another one here contacted by Louis Gerrard

Here´s the email I got from him:

"ENGLISH > PORTUGUESE TRANSLATOR NEEDED
Hello,

Are you a translator, can you translate an article from English > Portuguese? If yes Please confirm to me on your availability for this project while i supply you further details.

I await your mail while i supply you with more detail."

I replied manifesting my availability and he proceeded by sending me a first (interesting) document for me to translate and asking me to do the word/character count and get back to him with my service fee. Which I did, though I was getting suspicious by then because of the "bad" english. So I googled the document and nothing suspicious came up. So I did send him a quote. It was when I got his reply assigning the work to me that I got really suspicious and googled his email addres [email removed] which got me to this thread on ProZ. As we portuguese say: "em boa hora" (in good time). Now I don't have to jump on a job that would take up many hours of my time, while waiting for a payment that would turn out to be bogus.

Thank you ProZ!

Just for the record, here's the email that got me to google his email address:

"Okay good to read from you. First of all, I am glad that the document has been reviewed by you and you're okay with it, though somebody criticized me but a translator okay it. I budget €1400 for the project and I will make arrangement for the half payment and balance you up before you finish with the project. So send me your payment information such as Full name, Address, City and Zip-code where the check will be sent to so that i mail it out immediately.

The payment will be made by our financial correspondent, In fact I am going to meet with her to finalize the payment aspect so it will be glad if you can get back to me payment details on time. She said she will be going on a business trip so i need to get the money for the translation before she leave town.
Thanks and await your response as soon as possible."

So, watch out, everyone and keep safe from scammers.

[Edited at 2013-10-11 10:36 GMT]

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | IT IS DEFINITELY A SCAM!

Tony M — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 15:27:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Tony M
Post title: IT IS DEFINITELY A SCAM!

There can no longer be any doubt about it, this is a 100% scam!

Payment by cheque is always a risky business, and anyone suggesting it up front in the negotiations like this would be doubly suspicious, even without all the other factors.

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | louis gerrard contacted me

simopet — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 10:24:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: simopet
Post title: louis gerrard contacted me

hallo I received very strange emails from Louis Gerrard asking for a translation and sending me even the document to translat from english to italian.......
is it a scam????? I feel it very strange.....he writes in english with many mistakes too! he wants to pay by cheque

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | What happened with the deposited checks??

airmailrpl — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 02:53:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: airmailrpl
Post title: What happened with the deposited checks??

Several people reported actually receiving the checks from the scammers.
If some of you actually deposited the checks - I am curious of what the results were
- how long did it take for your bank to give you the bad news that the checks were no good, etc. ??

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Louis Gerrard - still going strong

rfw — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 16:21:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: rfw
Post title: Louis Gerrard - still going strong

My turn to be contacted. Unfortunately I fell for it and spent over 2 weeks working on his (interesting) document. When I started wondering why the promised 50 % downpayment had not arrived, I was given a weak excuse and offered a cheque, which I turned down, asking for PayPal instead. I haven't heard from him since....
Unfortunately In my first Internet research, this website did not turn up. It would have saved me a lot of time....
One never stops learning....

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Louis Gerrard scam

AlexandraC — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 16:11:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: AlexandraC
Post title: Louis Gerrard scam

Hi I received the same contact from the Louis Gerrard account.
Luckily I found the email exchange strange and when he/she suggested the sending of the check I said I would only accept bank transfer or PayPal. He never replied.
Now I was surfing the web trying to find out more about this and found the messages on the forum here. I will immediately tell everyone about this scam. Thanks for posting all these alerts. They are extremely useful.
Best regards

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Louis Gerrard strikes again!!!

Adriana Grigorescu — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 10:12:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Adriana Grigorescu
Post title: Louis Gerrard strikes again!!!

Thank you all for this scam report!!! I got exactly the same two e-mails from Louis Gerrard as Maggie. I had already done some research on Louis Gerrard and had found nothing but today, when I googled his name + address, I found this thread. In my first e-mail I had asked for Paypal payment but then I got the same answer (2nd e-mail) as Maggie did, saying he would pay by bank transfer...
Take care, dear colleagues!

Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand | Scam re translation for seminar Racism and Human Trafficking

Marta Cano — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 15:23:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: Racism and Human Trafficking (Michael Horn / John Burroughs)- False demand
Poster: Marta Cano
Post title: Scam re translation for seminar Racism and Human Trafficking

Hi,

Thank you all for your comments, I also got exactly the same request for Spanish yesterday.

As every cloud has a silver lining, the positive side is that I have registered with proZ :)

all the best

Marta Cano