Beware of illegal activites by some UAE companies Thread poster: Marquis
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Marquis
United States
Local time: 02:15
English to Polish
+ ...
Hello,
I was contacted by this company - based in Dubai and after 20 or so emails, signed agreements, CVs, after we agreed on the rates and about 25 emails were exchanged, I was asked to fill out the last for which as it turned out, asked me for my passport number and my local ID number. When I DID not provide either of these, the contact stopped completely.
I sent 6 emails. NOTHING.
I contacted Proz.com about this, as this seems quite nefarious, since WHY would a company in ... See more Hello,
I was contacted by this company - based in Dubai and after 20 or so emails, signed agreements, CVs, after we agreed on the rates and about 25 emails were exchanged, I was asked to fill out the last for which as it turned out, asked me for my passport number and my local ID number. When I DID not provide either of these, the contact stopped completely.
I sent 6 emails. NOTHING.
I contacted Proz.com about this, as this seems quite nefarious, since WHY would a company in Dubai need my US passport number???????
Proz.com did nothing. I was told, they are a paying member and since they pay more for the membership than I do, Proz.com DID NOTHING as usual.
Now, this would not be a problem, if the said company contacted me on their own, BUT this company got my email and my info from Proz.com, so I feel that someone should look into this, since they facilitated this exchange in the first place.
Proz.com is so much about the money membership fees that they forget to vet the companies that pay them, and they forgot how they started, apparently.
This is almost like facilitating a terrorist activity.
Since Proz.com is not going to do anything, I will.
I am going to contact the FBI to make a formal complaint about the said company and about Proz.com for facilitating nefarious, suspicious activity that is on the verge of a terrorist activity, as collecting US passport numbers IS NOT LEGAL!!!!
I am going to let me Proz.com membership run out this year, as they only work for the money not for the translators anymore and that is a shame, but it is also the truth!!!
The practices of Proz.com remind me more and more of third world countries where people do not matter anymore, but the membership dues do and he who pays more, has better chances of survival.
This used to be a legitimate, full of good professionals and advice website.
Now, it's a money making factory that's been too long in the business and by now, it's almost a shame for the industry. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | | Marquis
United States
Local time: 02:15
English to Polish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I'll contact Saturday Night and give em your email :-) | Mar 21, 2022 |
How bout that??
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 08:15
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Due diligence | Mar 21, 2022 |
Marquis wrote:
Hello,
I was contacted by this company - based in Dubai and after 20 or so emails, signed agreements, CVs, after we agreed on the rates and about 25 emails were exchanged, I was asked to fill out the last for which as it turned out, asked me for my passport number and my local ID number. When I DID not provide either of these, the contact stopped completely.
I sent 6 emails. NOTHING.
Do you know what is due diligence?
Due diligence is a legal term mostly used in the business and it means that a party (you, as a translator) is expected to take certain steps to verify the other party's solvency and good faith.
Before engaging in that exchange of massive emails, I would apply my own due diligence just to be safe.
Also, you are neither the first nor the last translator being asked to provide copies of those personal documents, and that requirement can be legit or not:
https://www.google.com/search?q="asking%20for%20passport%20copies:%20proz"&rlz=1C1GCEA_enPT878PT878&ei=C8A4YpvDGOWIxc8Pyc6e2Aw&ved=0ahUKEwjb9PeC59f2AhVlRPEDHUmnB8sQ4dUDCA4&uact=5&oq="asking%20for%20passport%20copies:%20proz"&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAM6BQghEKABSgQIQRgBSgQIRhgAUN4OWNUUYMoWaAFwAHgAgAGkAYgBgQKSAQMxLjGYAQCgAQHAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz
I find some of the words you used completely inadequate for a professional translator on a professional translation forum.
"Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible."
Maya Angelou
[Edited at 2022-03-21 18:36 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-03-21 18:39 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-03-21 18:40 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-03-21 18:43 GMT]
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I'm sure you checked their IP address when they contacted you via proz email. And you know that the sender's IP is always stated there. How to check the IP is one of your easiest tasks you do on a daily basis. You surely already know by experience, that agencies claiming to be based in Dubai, London, Singapore or in Switzerland often suddenly have moved to Egypt, Sri Lanka, Chișinău or East Frisia. Making business with local people living there normally isn't a problem because they're tell... See more I'm sure you checked their IP address when they contacted you via proz email. And you know that the sender's IP is always stated there. How to check the IP is one of your easiest tasks you do on a daily basis. You surely already know by experience, that agencies claiming to be based in Dubai, London, Singapore or in Switzerland often suddenly have moved to Egypt, Sri Lanka, Chișinău or East Frisia. Making business with local people living there normally isn't a problem because they're telling you right from the beginning that they are locals, but then you have all the dishonest business people who always come and go from, let's say Dubai, Singapore or the inner city of London or Zurich, who ruin the good reputation of the mentioned countries. ▲ Collapse
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As far as I know, according to the Proz rules you cannot name names. Besides that, what might be illegal in the United States regarding passport numbers, is not illegal in other countries. In Portugal, for instance, it's quite normal to ask for our ID number even when dealing with home deliveries. There's nothing nefarious or suspicious or "on the verge of a terrorist activity" (?!) about that.
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 08:15
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Some credibility | Mar 21, 2022 |
The company concerned seems to offer legal translation services, and it is certified by their Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
And as far as I could investigate, the Ministry of Justice of that country legalizes only translations made by their licensed translators.
I'm not sure if this is useful, but I think this information can give some credibility to the OP.
| | | | Nikolay Novitskiy 
Russian Federation
Local time: 12:15
Member (2018)
English to Russian
It's better to ignore the scammers completely.
[Edited at 2022-03-22 03:37 GMT]
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Kudos to Proz for not deleting the whole post and only the part that was against the rules. Should we expect this from now on? It would be good (in my opinion).
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The URL and title are still against the rules. Let's see what happens when they realise.
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 08:15
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Teresa Borges wrote:
Kudos to Proz for not deleting the whole post and only the part that was against the rules. Should we expect this from now on? It would be good (in my opinion).
At least in my first post, the OP's quote was deleted, except the first part. I was going to do that, but thanks to the staff.
Yes, the title remains as it is...
| | | | Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 01:15
Dutch to English
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Beware of what you say online.
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Marquis
United States
Local time: 02:15
English to Polish
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TOPIC STARTER | This was just for your info | Mar 22, 2022 |
First of all, I did not contact them. They contacted me. A few times. Not just once. She negotiated the rates and pushed for the collaboration. And since they used this portal for that, I assumed they are legal and legitimate. Secondly, to everyone that thinks providing your passport number to companies located across the world is OK -go on and do that - and let's see in a few years how that works out for you. ID yes, but never, never your passport number!!!!
It is illegal to collect passp... See more First of all, I did not contact them. They contacted me. A few times. Not just once. She negotiated the rates and pushed for the collaboration. And since they used this portal for that, I assumed they are legal and legitimate. Secondly, to everyone that thinks providing your passport number to companies located across the world is OK -go on and do that - and let's see in a few years how that works out for you. ID yes, but never, never your passport number!!!!
It is illegal to collect passport numbers NOT just in the US, and granted NOBODY needs it for you to work for them as a translator, and if they tell you they do - THAT IS NOT LEGAL!!!! That is simply BS!!! Secondly, if a company writes you 20 emails trying to get you to work for them, but when you DO NOT PROVIDE your passport number they stop the communication altogether -IT IS FISHY and seems quite nefarious.
If you get contacted by them, please forward your passport, your shoe number and anything else you want. I just made this post, to make people aware that some requests are simply illegal and Proz.com allows it with no punishment, as the companies pay more for their membership than you and I do, and will always be respected more than a regular single translator - no matter if they got scammed or not!!!
I am NOT expecting any replies, so please refrain from responding to me personally, as it will be ignored. ▲ Collapse
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