Should I ignore this email? Is it really legit? Thread poster: George Trail
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George Trail 
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:39
Member (2009)
French to English
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I got an email today which just seemed... off. It was from someone calling herself "Cindy Ross" and it went as follows:
Subject line: Reputable translator
Hello
How are you doing today? i was on the site www.translatorpub.com
looking for a reputable translator,i came across you profile kindly
get back to me with languages you can translate into from English an... See more I got an email today which just seemed... off. It was from someone calling herself "Cindy Ross" and it went as follows:
Subject line: Reputable translator
Hello
How are you doing today? i was on the site www.translatorpub.com
looking for a reputable translator,i came across you profile kindly
get back to me with languages you can translate into from English an
you charges.
Regards.
Even though she said she came across my profile, I noticed that my email address was included as a bcc entry. And if she really had seen my profile surely she should already know what my language pairs are?
What do you think? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:39
Russian to English
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In memoriam | To you and others | Sep 10, 2013 |
I notice she does not address you by name. She will have sent this email to several translators she found on translatorpub and possibly other sites. I see no harm in replying to it. You may or may not hear from her again, but if you do you can decide then whether you want to proceed with whatever she wants or not.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 18:39
Spanish to English
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| Likely scam. | Sep 10, 2013 |
"Hello
How are you doing today?"
This rather amatuerish overture is typically how most "Nigerian banker" type scams begin. It looks to me as though someone just wants your details (rates etc) for some obscure reason. If you do respond, I advise you not to expect too much in the way of a result.
| | | | | It's not always that odd... | Sep 10, 2013 |
sometimes agencies/clients come on strange ways...
Here is what I do when I receive emails from new companies:
1. Does the sender have a serious signature with company, address, website, phone numbers?
2. is it a professionel email address or a gmail/hotmail address?
3. check the website of this company
4. check the Blue Bord for this company
If I cannot answer those checks positively I simply discard the email as spam. Otherwise I write ... See more sometimes agencies/clients come on strange ways...
Here is what I do when I receive emails from new companies:
1. Does the sender have a serious signature with company, address, website, phone numbers?
2. is it a professionel email address or a gmail/hotmail address?
3. check the website of this company
4. check the Blue Bord for this company
If I cannot answer those checks positively I simply discard the email as spam. Otherwise I write a polite answer, send them my CV again and wait and see if there is more to come...
Regards
Sandra ▲ Collapse
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Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:39
Russian to English
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In memoriam | Shai Navé
Israel
Local time: 19:39
English to Hebrew
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| I wouldn't have bothered with it | Sep 10, 2013 |
I'll start from the end. Even if assuming that this is a legitimate email, which I highly doubt, the attitude and lack of even basic professionalism demonstrated by the wording of this alleged translation buyer means that there isn't any opportunity here for a professional.
I said that I highly doubt the legitimacy of this email because it has almost all the tell-tale signs of a first step in a fraud or a scam, and therefore I consider any further action on this one as an unnecessar... See more I'll start from the end. Even if assuming that this is a legitimate email, which I highly doubt, the attitude and lack of even basic professionalism demonstrated by the wording of this alleged translation buyer means that there isn't any opportunity here for a professional.
I said that I highly doubt the legitimacy of this email because it has almost all the tell-tale signs of a first step in a fraud or a scam, and therefore I consider any further action on this one as an unnecessary risk. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Woodstock (X)
Germany
Local time: 18:39
German to English
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| Trust your instincts | Sep 10, 2013 |
It's dodgy enough that I wouldn't bother replying, frankly. If it raises red flags for you, then do what you would normally do with a scam mail. You don't mention this specifically, but if a sender doesn't provide any contact or company details, it goes immediately to my Trash folder.
Edited for typo
[Edited at 2013-09-10 08:00 GMT]
| | | | | A request that makes no sense | Sep 10, 2013 |
Even before I scrolled down to Jack's post about the "Cindy Ross" scam, I was going to say the message looked like it was from a scammer. She says she's looking for "a reputable translator" (i.e. just one), yet she doesn't seem too bothered about which languages the translator works with. If I wanted a reputable translator, I think I'd at least have an idea of what languages I wanted, and search the directory accordingly rather than sending mistake-riddled emails at random! And the use of "i" ra... See more Even before I scrolled down to Jack's post about the "Cindy Ross" scam, I was going to say the message looked like it was from a scammer. She says she's looking for "a reputable translator" (i.e. just one), yet she doesn't seem too bothered about which languages the translator works with. If I wanted a reputable translator, I think I'd at least have an idea of what languages I wanted, and search the directory accordingly rather than sending mistake-riddled emails at random! And the use of "i" rather than "I" seems to be something of a scammer hallmark, I've often seen it before.
I also agree with Woodstock - trust your instincts. You were right all along, it seems. ▲ Collapse
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Roy OConnor (X)
Local time: 18:39
German to English
| Jack's right... | Sep 10, 2013 |
...it's an overpayment scam.
You can in fact tell it's not a serious enquiry, because it's lacking those infamous words "Send me your best rates".
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No first name, a portal which you probably do not have much activity in, poor English, and trying to flatter you... Scam!
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