ProZ.com Translation Forums

SCAM ALERT: Gifford Mark Kelly, "Stateside Agency" (stolen company identity), Elizabeth McConnell | Shame I didn't find this thread sooner.

Natalia Nowaczyńska — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:18:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: SCAM ALERT: Gifford Mark Kelly, "Stateside Agency" (stolen company identity), Elizabeth McConnell
Poster: Natalia Nowaczyńska
Post title: Shame I didn't find this thread sooner.

I was actually scammed by them back in July. They used the fact I am a young translator to take 3000 thousand of my country's currency from me. Despite me reporting them numerous times (I went to local police station twice and reported them online where I could - even my bank took action and, fortunately, no further money was stolen and, now unfortunately, my local police said nothing can be done), they kept trying to contact me (most recent message was today). I wish I found this thread sooner, but now, I know better than to trust such messages, at least.

[Edited at 2026-09-24 13:52 GMT]

SCAM ALERT: Gifford Mark Kelly, "Stateside Agency" (stolen company identity), Elizabeth McConnell | Thanks for the warning

Sarah Fons — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:09:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: SCAM ALERT: Gifford Mark Kelly, "Stateside Agency" (stolen company identity), Elizabeth McConnell
Poster: Sarah Fons
Post title: Thanks for the warning

I received a similar offer from a man called Frank Troyer ( [email removed] ) who pretends to work at Stateside Agency International and says he is looking for linguists for a 20 pages academic translation paid $180 per page. I looked up the man and the agency and I couldn't find any info. Glad I found your post.

SCAM ALERT: Gifford Mark Kelly, "Stateside Agency" (stolen company identity), Elizabeth McConnell | This needs to be reported

Thayenga — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:16:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: SCAM ALERT: Gifford Mark Kelly, "Stateside Agency" (stolen company identity), Elizabeth McConnell
Poster: Thayenga
Post title: This needs to be reported

You should also report this behavior to the following agencies,

[url removed]

[url removed]

They know what needs to be done to stop these fraudsters.

SCAM ALERT: Gifford Mark Kelly, "Stateside Agency" (stolen company identity), Elizabeth McConnell

Kimi Mikkonen — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:03:00 +0000

Forum: Scams
Topic: SCAM ALERT: Gifford Mark Kelly, "Stateside Agency" (stolen company identity), Elizabeth McConnell
Poster: Kimi Mikkonen

Watch out for this translation job scammer who tried to get $180 out of me.

I was contacted for an urgent, high-paying academic translation job by someone called Gifford Mark Kelly ( [email removed] ). Then I was transferred to WhatsApp, where they are USING the identity of the real US company Stateside Agency, but for example, their phone number doesn't even match the real company's. They are also overly friendly with their clients to build trust and try to be helpful if you have any queries about the job. I spent 40 hours on this translation and ended up being transferred to the "payment department" on Telegram. They pretend to be Elizabeth McConnell @elizamcconnell and pretend to work for US government agencies, FDIC and USDOL. They are also using an unknown woman's profile picture, stealing their identity as well. They are using a fake bank called Natpremium (Natpremium.pro) where they seemingly transfer the money, but when you try to transfer the money to yourself, you get the typical request for a transfer code (IMF code), and they ask for a deposit for this money. Be careful if you notice any weird signs, but specifically:

- someone using a Gmail or another casual email for professional communication
- using WhatsApp or Telegram for professional communication
- no contracts signed, no POs, no real onboarding
- the to-be-translated document is publicly available, and you don't know the purpose of the translation
- details don't match official companies or their employees, or the company or their representatives don't seem to be found on legitimate places like ProZ or LinkedIn

Be careful out there! Block them if you encounter anything suspicious like this, and don't waste your time on unpaid time-taking jobs as I did! If you can, you can also report it to cybersecurity officials or, if you end up giving them something like your details or work, your local police.