BEWARE: Wordminds impersonator Thread poster: Ramunas Kontrimas
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Beware of apparently legit emails with translation offers from Wordminds agency! I have received one, signed by a genuine Wordminds manager but from a gmail account [email protected]. I'm going to notify the end client as well.
[Edited at 2019-09-10 10:24 GMT] | | | Wordminds United Kingdom Local time: 19:47 Member (2014) English to German + ...
Dear Colleagues and Friends, It is indeed unfortunate and we've recently been notified that someone is unfaithfully using our name and signature and offers translation projects to linguists. It is NOT us. We are never using Gmail accounts, all our projects are coming from corporate emails. Please do not take those jobs. We are already working on the identification and reporting to the competent authorities. Thank you.
[Edited at 2019-09-12 06:... See more Dear Colleagues and Friends, It is indeed unfortunate and we've recently been notified that someone is unfaithfully using our name and signature and offers translation projects to linguists. It is NOT us. We are never using Gmail accounts, all our projects are coming from corporate emails. Please do not take those jobs. We are already working on the identification and reporting to the competent authorities. Thank you.
[Edited at 2019-09-12 06:47 GMT] ▲ Collapse | | | I was also the victim of a scam | Oct 14, 2019 |
I also did two translations for this scammer who used a fake email address: wordminds.translations@ gmail.com The alleged Project Manager used the name Dorina Josan. This was one of the many names in a PDF listing scammers. I did another job related to this one for a Belgian company that was also a scam. The scammers stole the actual company's identity and used a fake email address. All told, I lost over €500 to these evil people. I will neve... See more I also did two translations for this scammer who used a fake email address: wordminds.translations@ gmail.com The alleged Project Manager used the name Dorina Josan. This was one of the many names in a PDF listing scammers. I did another job related to this one for a Belgian company that was also a scam. The scammers stole the actual company's identity and used a fake email address. All told, I lost over €500 to these evil people. I will never again do work for anyone who does not connect with me via a PROZ posting. Beware! ▲ Collapse | | | Ramunas Kontrimas Lithuania Local time: 21:47 English to Lithuanian + ... TOPIC STARTER how do they get the projects? | Oct 14, 2019 |
I just wonder how do they get hold of these projects that appear legit? They get them from somewhere - what kind of agency or end-client would work with them? | |
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IrinaN United States Local time: 14:47 English to Russian + ... Ramunas, they don't get any "projects" | Oct 14, 2019 |
And they don't need any translations or translators. They get those texts from the open Internet sources. Those texts are no one's "projects", just texts. Often translated into many languages already. They've learned to pick interesting and hot international subjects, fairly simple meaning not highly technical, to lure in more people. A great deal of modern translators firmly believe that anything that has no quantum mechanics involved is easy... See more And they don't need any translations or translators. They get those texts from the open Internet sources. Those texts are no one's "projects", just texts. Often translated into many languages already. They've learned to pick interesting and hot international subjects, fairly simple meaning not highly technical, to lure in more people. A great deal of modern translators firmly believe that anything that has no quantum mechanics involved is easy, and the scammers got that too. People manage to believe that they could be selected for the highest rates with 2 years of greetings and post cards experience or no experience/portfolio at all, and then they give banking data upon a first request in the email from a stranger. Really... All they want is your money. Thru overpayment scams, fake software purchase etc etc. When you translation arrives, it serves one purpose only - another burst of hyena laugh before it goes to a trash bin. If they bother at all... ▲ Collapse | | | Julie Barber United Kingdom Local time: 19:47 French to English Always pay attention to details | Oct 16, 2019 |
Wordminds wrote: Dear Colleagues and Friends, It is indeed unfortunate and we've recently been notified that someone is unfaithfully using our name and signature and offers translation projects to linguists. It is NOT us. We are never using Gmail accounts, all our projects are coming from corporate emails. Please do not take those jobs. We are already working on the identification and reporting to the competent authorities. Thank you.
[Edited at 2019-09-12 06:47 GMT] Sorry to see that this is happening to you. I used to work for a large French group and there were various attempts to impersonate the company. Some fraudsters used email addresses that were not dissimilar to ours, in an attempt to embezzle funds from clients. It usually involved telling our clients that we had changed our bank account details. SO, if you ever have any form of supplier who emails or even writes on letter headed paper to ask you to use "new" bank details, always make sure that you call them and speak to your regular contact before making any payment! I think that we should be very careful with the "details" - gmail accounts, strange email signatures - anything that looks odd, check it out!
[Edited at 2019-10-16 10:37 GMT] | | | etimea Hungary Local time: 20:47 English to Hungarian + ... NEW SCAM ALERT!!! | Oct 19, 2019 |
Scammers are trying to fool you. Please be aware I this if you have a request from the [email protected] email address. It’s the same story than usually: not a proz member 10.000+ words no invoice needed upfront payment but only cashier check or bank certified check google phone number and fake address price was accepted immediately asking for bank infos asap.... See more Scammers are trying to fool you. Please be aware I this if you have a request from the [email protected] email address. It’s the same story than usually: not a proz member 10.000+ words no invoice needed upfront payment but only cashier check or bank certified check google phone number and fake address price was accepted immediately asking for bank infos asap... etc. Don’t waste your precious time ——————— Hello, I'm contacting you in regard to an English content document worth 11,800 words (60 Pages). I need this document translated into Hungarian. I would like to know if you are interested to get this done for me. Please get back to me as soon as you can via email ([email protected]). Thank you. ——————— Hello , I'm pleased to know you are interested in handling this project. However, I will require your service to translate the attached English document. In the mean time, could you also confirm your charges per page, per source word or for the entire translation? The deadline for this Project is 1 month starting from 22/October/2019.Finally, I'm proposing a cashier check or bank certified check for the payment. Please do not hesitate to confirm if this is okay with you? I look forward to reading from you soon. Best Regards —————— Hello , Thank you for getting back. I quite agree with your price quote and i am willing to pay for your service. This project is a research paper being sponsor for a seminar coming up soon, so I would like to make an advance payment or make the full payment so you know you have my job with you. In the mean time, do get back to me with the following payment information in the format below. 1. Full Name to be written on the Check 2. Full Physical Address: 3. Mobile number Your payment will be prepared once I have the requested details. Payment will be received before you send the document. Get back to me asap. Regards Daniel Smith 4612 County Rd 616 #3 Alvarado, TX 76009, USA (682) 207-4076 ▲ Collapse | | | Mihai Badea (X) Luxembourg Local time: 20:47 English to Romanian + ...
Dear colleagues, I would like to make you aware of a characteristic of cPanel and other content management systems. If your package allows add-on domains, it is possible to (re)create virtually any email address in the world. Do you want to send an email using the official email box of the President of United States of America? You can do it! Some of you might think: "Wow, this is a terrible vulnerability!". No, dear colleagues, this is a feature!... See more Dear colleagues, I would like to make you aware of a characteristic of cPanel and other content management systems. If your package allows add-on domains, it is possible to (re)create virtually any email address in the world. Do you want to send an email using the official email box of the President of United States of America? You can do it! Some of you might think: "Wow, this is a terrible vulnerability!". No, dear colleagues, this is a feature! *** This will probably not be of much use, since replies to messages from such forged email addresses will go to the actual owners. Maybe that's why it is a feature, and not a vulnerability.
[Edited at 2019-10-20 05:24 GMT] ▲ Collapse | |
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Christopher Smith (X) United Kingdom Local time: 19:47 Dutch to English I got scammed too | Oct 21, 2019 |
Unfortunately, I was also scammed by this impersonator last month. When I sent the invoice, I received a delivery failure message saying that the address wordminds.translations:gmail.com does not exist. I will also check the Blue Board and email addresses more carefully in future before accepting job offers, and I wish the genuine company every success in tracking down the impersonator. | | | Daryo United Kingdom Local time: 19:47 Serbian to English + ... An important detail ... | Oct 22, 2019 |
Christopher Smith wrote: Unfortunately, I was also scammed by this impersonator last month. When I sent the invoice, I received a delivery failure message saying that the address wordminds.translations:gmail.com does not exist. I will also check the Blue Board and email addresses more carefully in future before accepting job offers, and I wish the genuine company every success in tracking down the impersonator. Was the text you translated a "real" one - in the sense that it might be actually really needed by someone? Can you see from the translated text which are companies that could have been the real / actual end client? If yes, it wasn't a "fake cheque / overpayment scam" it was another kind of scam - getting a real(ly needed) translation for nothing, You do have a starting point in finding these imposters: the company who really needed the translation.
[Edited at 2019-10-22 12:37 GMT] | | | Ramunas Kontrimas Lithuania Local time: 21:47 English to Lithuanian + ... TOPIC STARTER if you're right | Oct 22, 2019 |
Daryo wrote: Christopher Smith wrote: Unfortunately, I was also scammed by this impersonator last month. When I sent the invoice, I received a delivery failure message saying that the address wordminds.translations:gmail.com does not exist. I will also check the Blue Board and email addresses more carefully in future before accepting job offers, and I wish the genuine company every success in tracking down the impersonator. Was the text you translated a "real" one - in the sense that it might be actually really needed by someone? Can you see from the translated text which are companies that could have been the real / actual end client? If yes, it wasn't a "fake cheque / overpayment scam" it was another kind of scam - getting a real(ly needed) translation for nothing, You do have a starting point in finding these imposters: the company who really needed the translation. [Edited at 2019-10-22 12:37 GMT] Then how did a no-name land a real project in the first place? | | | Daryo United Kingdom Local time: 19:47 Serbian to English + ... The answer is pretty obvious .... | Oct 25, 2019 |
Ramunas Kontrimas wrote: Daryo wrote: Christopher Smith wrote: Unfortunately, I was also scammed by this impersonator last month. When I sent the invoice, I received a delivery failure message saying that the address wordminds.translations:gmail.com does not exist. I will also check the Blue Board and email addresses more carefully in future before accepting job offers, and I wish the genuine company every success in tracking down the impersonator. Was the text you translated a "real" one - in the sense that it might be actually really needed by someone? Can you see from the translated text which are companies that could have been the real / actual end client? If yes, it wasn't a "fake cheque / overpayment scam" it was another kind of scam - getting a real(ly needed) translation for nothing, You do have a starting point in finding these imposters: the company who really needed the translation. [Edited at 2019-10-22 12:37 GMT] Then how did a no-name land a real project in the first place? The answer is pretty obvious: behind the "no-name" is hiding someone "real" who does really need the translation, for themselves or for someone else who will pay for it. | |
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Scammers now use the real domain as well. | Dec 14, 2020 |
I've come by what seems to be a scam with someone impersonating Wordminds too. The impersonator was using an actual @wordminds.com domain, claiming to be Dorina Josan. In my case, a few things were strange: * The requested translation sample was cut out and had obvious mistakes as though it were done by a translation machine; * The profile picture seemed to be a digital picture rather than a photo; * Their signature clearly mentioned being a vendor man... See more I've come by what seems to be a scam with someone impersonating Wordminds too. The impersonator was using an actual @wordminds.com domain, claiming to be Dorina Josan. In my case, a few things were strange: * The requested translation sample was cut out and had obvious mistakes as though it were done by a translation machine; * The profile picture seemed to be a digital picture rather than a photo; * Their signature clearly mentioned being a vendor manager (not an expected recruiter position); * They said: "Let us know how low would you go with your rate, considering a high volume and a similar content." after a reply mentioning rates. I initially (naïvely) trusted the original email since the domain was correct as per this topic and the company was shown over the BlueBoard, but after noticing these strange things I checked the translator-scammers.com website and the said email ([email protected]) was listed there. In summary, scammers are not only using gmail accounts, but also domain spoofing. There are 29 other scam emails with the true domain name as shown in the translator scammers website: http://www.translator-scammers.com/translator-scammers-emails.htm Unfortunately I ended up showing them my CV, but thankfully I noticed the issue early. ▲ Collapse | | | Natalie Poland Local time: 20:47 Member (2002) English to Russian + ... MODERATOR SITE LOCALIZER You need also | Dec 15, 2020 |
pay attention not only to the sender's email (which may be correct, no need of spoofing) but also to the "reply-to" address which may be fake. | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » BEWARE: Wordminds impersonator CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
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