Suspected scam, card reported stolen, two different correspondents (title edited by staff) Thread poster: Diana Coada (X)
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Diana Coada (X) 
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:02
Portuguese to English
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I was contacted a few days ago regarding a translation. I explained that the simplest payment option was to go to my website and pay with a debit/credit card (eliminating the need for PayPal or bank transfers).
Today she sent an email saying she was away and that her card had been stolen, so she's asking if she can pay with a postal order. The two first names are a weird thing as well.
''Hi
Sorri not to jave contacted u for a few days. Ive been away so.havent bee... See more I was contacted a few days ago regarding a translation. I explained that the simplest payment option was to go to my website and pay with a debit/credit card (eliminating the need for PayPal or bank transfers).
Today she sent an email saying she was away and that her card had been stolen, so she's asking if she can pay with a postal order. The two first names are a weird thing as well.
''Hi
Sorri not to jave contacted u for a few days. Ive been away so.havent been able to look at emails etc. Had my card stolen when away and ive ordered new ome but takes time. R there any other payment methods as havent got card at mo so cant use paypal. Cud i.send postal order for example as i nid translation urgently now. Any suggestions? Thank u for ur patience and understanding?''
[Edited at 2012-12-10 10:55 GMT]
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2012-12-10 14:14 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Mobile payment | Dec 10, 2012 |
Maybe you can search for options like mobile payment, paying by sms etc. After paying she could download the translation. It's not very customerfriendly but it might be the solution here.
| | | | | doesn't look very professional to me | Dec 10, 2012 |
Hi Diana,
It's my personal feeling, but the way you describe the facts and the tone of the message that person sent to you don't seem very professional to me.
Don't want to scare you, but I would suspect some possible kind of scam there...
I would recommend that you check on ProZ.com scam reports and see whether you find some similar cases.
Hope this helps.
Have a nice day
| | | | | Contact information? | Dec 10, 2012 |
Diana Coada wrote:
I was contacted a few days ago regarding a translation. I explained that the simplest payment option was to go to my website and pay with a debit/credit card (eliminating the need for PayPal or bank transfers).
Today she sent an email saying she was away and that her card had been stolen, so she's asking if she can pay with a postal order. The two first names are a weird thing as well.
''Hi
Sorri not to jave contacted u for a few days. Ive been away so.havent been able to look at emails etc. Had my card stolen when away and ive ordered new ome but takes time. R there any other payment methods as havent got card at mo so cant use paypal. Cud i.send postal order for example as i nid translation urgently now. Any suggestions? Thank u for ur patience and understanding?''
Hi Diana,
Do you have any strong, verifiable contact information from this 'client'? (I would be glad if you could submit the correspondence via Support, ideally displaying full headers)
If you are relying only on a name and an email address (especially if this address can't be traced to a real company) then you are at high risk.
On top of this you get strange reasons written in a strange brand of English that ask you to accept the kind of payment favored by overpayment scammers.
I would delete this immediately.
Regards,
Enrique
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| It looks like scam to me | Dec 10, 2012 |
This whole thing, the stolen card story, the poor Enlgish, etc., smells a rat to me.
Also, nowadays, when you are away, you may check your email at any place, even using your own mobile.
I would not even reply back.
| | | | Diana Coada (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:02
Portuguese to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Exactly why I am warning everyone :) | Dec 10, 2012 |
Enrique Cavalitto wrote:
On top of this you get strange reasons written in a strange brand of English that ask you to accept the kind of payment favored by overpayment scammers.
| | | | Diana Coada (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:02
Portuguese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Enrique Cavalitto wrote:
I would be glad if you could submit the correspondence via Support
| | | | | Borderline, in my opinion | Dec 10, 2012 |
Diana Coada wrote: Enrique Cavalitto wrote:
I would be glad if you could submit the correspondence via Support
Done!
Thanks Diana, for sending your exchanges with this 'client'. I am not sure about this being a scam. There are a few exchanges with a person named Celine that sound OK. The English used there is reasonable, and at some point Diana asks for the clarification of a sentence that is not clear in the original and Celine rephrases it. This is not the normal behavior of an overpayment scammer.
On the other hand the last message received, the one Diana posted above, comes from a second person and the language used is completely different. And even when you have two names and two styles very different (so, most probably, two persons), both speak in the first person singular, as "I", not as "we".
The amount involved is small, so it would be hard to use this in an overpayment scheme. All in all I would call it borderline and, if you want to move forward with this case, I would definitely ask for verifiable contact information.
I edited the thread title in order to keep the names of the 'clients' confidential. They should not be published if the are legitimate, and even if this is a scam, the style and message are far more important than the names used (scammers pick and drop names and email addresses very easily).
Kind regards,
Enrique
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Diana Coada (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:02
Portuguese to English
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TOPIC STARTER
the email address is celine@xxx, but the emails are signed with Regards, Catherine''.
Another flag was that the document she attached had no headers, footers, signature, stamp, etc. (the document talks about court papers and a member of parliament).
| | | | Diana Coada (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:02
Portuguese to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Doesn't matter | Dec 10, 2012 |
Enrique Cavalitto wrote:
The amount involved is small, so it would be hard to use this in an overpayment scheme.
After they earn your trust with the first project, they can always come back with a second project worth a few thousand and proceed with the overpayment.
Anyway, why mention the stolen card in the first place?
| | | | | Overpayment scammers are more primitive predators | Dec 10, 2012 |
Diana Coada wrote: Enrique Cavalitto wrote:
The amount involved is small, so it would be hard to use this in an overpayment scheme. After they earn your trust with the first project, they can always come back with a second project worth a few thousand and proceed with the overpayment. Anyway, why mention the stolen card in the first place?
Since I started working on scams I have seen a lot of stuff, but I have never seen an overpayment scammer pay honestly for a translation in order to earn this person's trust. This would be too sophisticated for them.
Regards,
Enrique
| | | | Anne Pinaglia
Netherlands
Local time: 23:02
Italian to English
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If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck...
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| is it a Uk postal order | Dec 11, 2012 |
If it is a UK postal order then unless she is forging the postal order you should be ok. My first thoughts were it was a scam, but then i thought a bit more about it. A postal order is bought at the post office and you pay up front. Unlike a cheque you need to have the funds to buy one so there can be no overpayment scam.
Also when you take a postal order to the post office you can just cash it there and then for the amount on the PO. Alternatively they can be crossed so they have ... See more If it is a UK postal order then unless she is forging the postal order you should be ok. My first thoughts were it was a scam, but then i thought a bit more about it. A postal order is bought at the post office and you pay up front. Unlike a cheque you need to have the funds to buy one so there can be no overpayment scam.
Also when you take a postal order to the post office you can just cash it there and then for the amount on the PO. Alternatively they can be crossed so they have to be paid into a bank account but i think in this case the money is credited instantly.
In addition the person sending the PO has to pay a fee so assuming the cost of the translation is between 10 and £99.99 they would pay an extra 12.5% themselves.
if it is over 100 it will be 12.50 regardless of how much (the max is 250)
If it is not a UK postal order then i would be very wary, for instance will it be accepted in this country ? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Diana Coada (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:02
Portuguese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
The lady in question paid the correct amount in full. There was no overpayment.
(The stolen card and the mistakes in one of the emails are still baffling though.)
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