SCAM - Advance Payment for a large Project - Marie Duncan Thread poster: Will Volny
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Will Volny 
United States
Local time: 05:58
Member (2018)
Czech to English
+ ...
Still learning the ropes in this career, but had a scam that lasted since December. This person, 'Marie Duncan", associated with no agency contacted me by e-mail to do a large project. 'She' sent me 'The Prince' by Machiavelli no less, in French, to translate into English. First clue. Second clue: Payment in advance, with no formal PO, or rate decided. It took a few months for things to continue and communication was irregular. I had turned down the job in several e-mails and gave her the... See more Still learning the ropes in this career, but had a scam that lasted since December. This person, 'Marie Duncan", associated with no agency contacted me by e-mail to do a large project. 'She' sent me 'The Prince' by Machiavelli no less, in French, to translate into English. First clue. Second clue: Payment in advance, with no formal PO, or rate decided. It took a few months for things to continue and communication was irregular. I had turned down the job in several e-mails and gave her the link for the Free copy of The Prince in English. This didn't stop it. She said she never got my e-mails turning the job down. She kept saying 'half' will be sent to my bank account (no, I don't want to talk about my ignorance in that. It's fixed, but yes, I'm ashamed. I didn't know it was a scam yet). Suddenly, 2 months later, $12K appears in my account. I then get an email from 'Marie' that she 'make a mistake and not want event planner to know.' She wanted me to make a check out for the $12K in a money order. I called my bank immediately, refused payment, closed that bank account and stopped talking to her by email. She is still bothering me by emails twice a week.
Sorry for details, but who would think that the quiet, industrious, dedicated translator community would be a target for scams? They must be desperate.
Highlights to keep in mind:
- advance payment
-monies transferred without any PO or rates or pricing having been defined
-some bogus item, usually large, to translate
-poor English (if the scam is targeted to English translators)
-Sporadic communication and no identifiable agency or aegis.
If you think 'this is odd', pay attention to your intellect. I almost failed, thinking that the world of translating is ardent, passionate and beyond reproach.
Will ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 12:58
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| How persistent | Feb 24, 2019 |
If it weren't so sad and a crime, such persistence is almost funny.
Good thing that you refused payment and, very good, closed that bank account. This way she can send all the money she wants to and... watch it bounce back due to a non-existent account.
Advanced payment scams have been around since there have been any kind of freelancers, I assume. So this is nothing new. Neither are the allegedly not rece... See more If it weren't so sad and a crime, such persistence is almost funny.
Good thing that you refused payment and, very good, closed that bank account. This way she can send all the money she wants to and... watch it bounce back due to a non-existent account.
Advanced payment scams have been around since there have been any kind of freelancers, I assume. So this is nothing new. Neither are the allegedly not received emails from you. That you fell for such a scam, well, almost, is nothing to be ashamed of. These things can happen. But you spotted the "trap" and took action, also by posting it here. Thank you, Will, and stay safe. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 06:58
German to English
| Translators are easy prey | Feb 24, 2019 |
Will Volny wrote:
who would think that the quiet, industrious, dedicated translator community would be a target for scams? They must be desperate.
Alas, too many translators think of themselves as artists or craftsmen/women and not as business people.
We are first and foremost business operators. And that business is translation.
| | | | Michele Lemieux-Madison (X)
United States
Local time: 06:58
English to French
+ ...
Hi Will,
Since you said you are relatively new to the career, here are a few more things to watch out for:
Spelling errors in the email you receive for a job
They will often say they saw your name in the ATA or whatever organization you are part of
The email is from a gmail account or other generic address
If there's an agency name, check the Blue Board rating
If you're not sure if it's legit, err on the side of caution and don't even reply. They... See more Hi Will,
Since you said you are relatively new to the career, here are a few more things to watch out for:
Spelling errors in the email you receive for a job
They will often say they saw your name in the ATA or whatever organization you are part of
The email is from a gmail account or other generic address
If there's an agency name, check the Blue Board rating
If you're not sure if it's legit, err on the side of caution and don't even reply. They send out emails to anyone and they can't know if it's an active email address unless you respond.
Don't worry, Will, we've all been there!
Happy Sunday!
Michèle ▲ Collapse
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LEXpert
United States
Local time: 05:58
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
| Poor scammer unclear on the concept? | Feb 24, 2019 |
Will,
Your instincts were ultimately right on this one, but I am curious about one detail. You say that $12k "appeared in your bank account". Assuming you actually saw it on your bank's statement or banking website (and it wasn't a spoofed notification from the scammer), how did it get there? Unless you deposited a personal or cashier's check, or initiated the transfer from another funding source like PayPal, it could presumably only have been sent by wire transfer, which is generally irre... See more Will,
Your instincts were ultimately right on this one, but I am curious about one detail. You say that $12k "appeared in your bank account". Assuming you actually saw it on your bank's statement or banking website (and it wasn't a spoofed notification from the scammer), how did it get there? Unless you deposited a personal or cashier's check, or initiated the transfer from another funding source like PayPal, it could presumably only have been sent by wire transfer, which is generally irreversible. The scam usually relies on the scammer sending you bad/reversible money (fake cashier's check) and having you send them or a confederate "good" money (WU, Money Order, or wire) before the fake check bounces.
This leaves me wondering how exactly the scammer intended get their $12k back from you if you had just sat on the money and ignored their requests to forward it somewhere, or even to profit from the transaction if things transpired as described, since a wire transfer would normally have to have real, irreversible money behind it, as it is taken out of the sending account instantly.
Maybe they were just new to the scamming business and are still learning... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | An unlikely but real story | Feb 24, 2019 |
Will Volny wrote:
Sorry for details, but who would think that the quiet, industrious, dedicated translator community would be a target for scams?
Everybody who lives in the real world...?? Btw. there's been a thread about this scam just some months ago, search for "Machiavelli" in this forum.
But seriously, you have shown very well that anybody who uses their brains at least a bit will see these stories don't make sense at all and you don't have to know anything about scams. So well done and don't say you fell for it - you didn't!
But since you work from Czech, I wanted to share a recent experience that may be relevant to you and other Czech translators.
Just about 2 or so weeks ago, I was contacted by a Czech agency I've been sporadically working for since more than a decade and that I trust, with a supposed offer to translate a philosophical essay from Czech to Polish. I jumped with joy, since philosophy is my original "profession" and passion.
I was sent a word document with a title "The concept of God and man in Pascal's thought" in Polish (imho translated by GT since it had one weird preposition), written in a weirdly old Czech (like 100 years old). For those who don't know - you'd have to be a Czech philologist with a special penchant to be able to write like this nowadays. I googled some fragments and voila - found them on a website with an old Czech translation of Pascal's "Thoughts" (http://www.volneknihy.xf.cz/Blaise_Pascal--Myslenky.html). The text has just been altered by adding bits like "The author argues that..." etc., at the beginning of each paragraph. Otherwise it was a continuous chunk of the work by Pascal.
I contacted the agency warning them that it's likely an (overpayment) scam and they're the target. I was told the client was a woman who called the agency saying (supposedly in a normal Czech) it's an essay by her son, that he largely copied "somewhere on internet" and hence the old language. We're supposed to believe he's studying in Poland without knowing the language and despite attending a philosophy course, has never heard of this ultra famous work (and hopes neither has the teacher ). Needless to say, there're several PL translations of this work, including afaik in the public domain. The "mother" allegedly agreed to come to the agency in person (!) and pay part of the price in advance, before the translation work begins.
I have no doubt there'd be a cheque appearing farther in the story, if it was allowed to develop. My understanding is that it wasn't and the agency sent her to hell.
Now, those who read this forum regularly will think why was this standard scam story worth to be told in such detail... Because this is the 1st time I see this type of scam in Czech - people involved in this are Czech native speakers and this will inspire trust in many (most Czechs probably associate a scam with some GT-ed gibberish that they occasionally find in their spam folder). Payment with a cheque is a weak point since this is completely obsolete form of payment in the Czech Rep. (yes ) and most Czechs (me included) wouldn't even know what to do with it. But that's also why the overpayment scam is virtually unknown there (since non-existent) and this ignorance could play in the scammers' hands.
So yes, these people are desperately "desperate" and will invest their time to try it even in a country where they have close to no chance to succeed.
You have to always be on guard.
[Edited at 2019-02-24 19:49 GMT]
| | | | Will Volny
United States
Local time: 05:58
Member (2018)
Czech to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | EXCELLENT INPUT! | Feb 24, 2019 |
Thank you for sharing your insight on this experience. It is reassuring to know that the community is well aware of these scams.
With regard to LEXpert's query. The $12K + was wired to my account and the account showed a $12K+ entry. I was able to see a copy of the check on my online statement. I assumed that, if I were to make a cashier's check out for the $10K ('she' said I should keep a couple grand for myself since I was honest. Another clue!), then the check would have bounced in ... See more Thank you for sharing your insight on this experience. It is reassuring to know that the community is well aware of these scams.
With regard to LEXpert's query. The $12K + was wired to my account and the account showed a $12K+ entry. I was able to see a copy of the check on my online statement. I assumed that, if I were to make a cashier's check out for the $10K ('she' said I should keep a couple grand for myself since I was honest. Another clue!), then the check would have bounced in 10-14 days and I would have been out the money entirely.
this scammer writes me once a week still (!) asking where her money is. I simply delete the e-mails. I think, if I were to have just 'kept' the money, it would have bounced? If not, I could have given all of us a grand celebration for scamming a scammer!
Will ▲ Collapse
| | | | Will Volny
United States
Local time: 05:58
Member (2018)
Czech to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | addendum to LEXpert's query | Feb 24, 2019 |
It somehow was reversible. I got notification from my bank that payment was refused (and incurred a $12.00 refusal bank charge as the cost of my learning the lesson).
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DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
| 1000 × refused payments | Feb 24, 2019 |
Will, you did it right--it's better than get fooled by a con, especially pleading ignorance about money laundering schemes.
"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck..."
While there're often several 'official' translations of some works and a client may want to adapt it to a specific audience or dialect, it's fancy how your bank works... How about a thousand of canceled transactions at your expense?
| | | | Arianne Farah
Canada
Local time: 06:58
Member (2008)
English to French
| New variant on an old scam | Feb 26, 2019 |
LEXpert wrote:
Will,
Your instincts were ultimately right on this one, but I am curious about one detail. You say that $12k "appeared in your bank account". Assuming you actually saw it on your bank's statement or banking website (and it wasn't a spoofed notification from the scammer), how did it get there? Unless you deposited a personal or cashier's check, or initiated the transfer from another funding source like PayPal, it could presumably only have been sent by wire transfer, which is generally irreversible. The scam usually relies on the scammer sending you bad/reversible money (fake cashier's check) and having you send them or a confederate "good" money (WU, Money Order, or wire) before the fake check bounces.
This leaves me wondering how exactly the scammer intended get their $12k back from you if you had just sat on the money and ignored their requests to forward it somewhere, or even to profit from the transaction if things transpired as described, since a wire transfer would normally have to have real, irreversible money behind it, as it is taken out of the sending account instantly.
Maybe they were just new to the scamming business and are still learning...
It's a VERY new variant (this is the 3rd time I've heard of it, all over the last couple of months), where the scammers deposit a cheque in your name to your account from another branch so you think it's a wire because you never handled a cheque and the amount 'appeared' in your account. Unfortunately banks don't usually require IDs for deposits and just ask for the account number (of course they can't withdraw without ID or a card & PIN).
| | | | | It happened to me | Feb 27, 2019 |
I was supposed to edit a doctoral dissertation and like all large jobs I suggested 1/3 at the beginning 1/3 at the midpoint and 1/3 at the end.
The client’s name was Aaron Livingston (Dr. Livingston, I presume?) and like you said Will the amount was far and above the “1/3” that we agreed upon.
Curiously enough - the event planner did it - amazing. And which event was this?!
So my wonderful credit union very wisely told me don’t do anything- class... See more I was supposed to edit a doctoral dissertation and like all large jobs I suggested 1/3 at the beginning 1/3 at the midpoint and 1/3 at the end.
The client’s name was Aaron Livingston (Dr. Livingston, I presume?) and like you said Will the amount was far and above the “1/3” that we agreed upon.
Curiously enough - the event planner did it - amazing. And which event was this?!
So my wonderful credit union very wisely told me don’t do anything- classic scam etc. I was supposed to send half the $5000 I’d received to a third person. I’d received funds on a Friday and kept being pressured “did you make the transfer”. I told them no, and I won’t.
The check was sent by someone in Missouri (for Aaron Livingston in Massachusetts) and I was supposed to send money to the event planner in Michigan.
Sure enough the original check bounced a few days later and I ended up paying a $12 fee - which is a lot better than $5000.
Beware!
Now back to my translation job ... 😋 ▲ Collapse
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
While I understand a bad joke with charging back, it is still a sort of a Greek riddle--
If somebody sends a thousand of fake checks to a translator, the latter will have to pay at least $12 fee thousandfold no matter what--$12'000 for the attempted frauds, right?
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Will Volny
United States
Local time: 05:58
Member (2018)
Czech to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Response to a new variant on an old scam | Feb 27, 2019 |
Thank you for your sharing your experience on this. Great job thwarting Evil! My client was located in DC, supposedly, and the check came from Texas. There was an 'event planner' too! Well, we can be sure we won't even come close to falling for that again.
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