I got a scam email Thread poster: Korana Lasić
|
|---|
I do apologise if you've seen this one before.
So, they are impersonating an actual agency and looking for a "Search Engine Evaluator/Internet Analyst"
The email looks suspicious because there's no agency logo after the vendor's name.
The grammar is OK, but it doesn't exactly have a professional vibe, whatever that is supposed to mean but that's how it felt to me at first reading.
They contacted me through proz messaging system and the email l... See more I do apologise if you've seen this one before.
So, they are impersonating an actual agency and looking for a "Search Engine Evaluator/Internet Analyst"
The email looks suspicious because there's no agency logo after the vendor's name.
The grammar is OK, but it doesn't exactly have a professional vibe, whatever that is supposed to mean but that's how it felt to me at first reading.
They contacted me through proz messaging system and the email links to a proz.com profile that looks like it might be of the actual vendor for the agency.
I was asked to follow a link to application form. The form required the usual: Name, address, language pair, education...
The message making sure I've put in my legal name was odd because it said: "all payment will be made via check to the name I indicated".
To avoid being scammed I do not accept check payments, I only work with people willing to pay through e-wallets. However, I'm thinking we can renegotiate payment methods later.
Then I am asked if I've got a smartphone!!!! and asked to scan a QR code with my phone! Upon which I click to withdraw and delete my application, and the page says: "Are you sure? You won't be able to apply again"!!!!
The agency's actual homepage, when you look it up online and go to the homepage, is agencyname.com
When you copy-paste it, it looks like this: https://agancyname.com/
The scammer's homepage is connect.agencyname.com/qrp/public/home
When copy-pasted it looks like this: https://connect.agencyname.com/qrp/public/home
[Edited at 2020-03-06 12:21 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Typo or same domain? | Mar 7, 2020 |
Korana Lasić wrote: The agency's actual homepage, when you look it up online and go to the homepage, is agencyname.com When you copy-paste it, it looks like this: https://agancyname.com/ The scammer's homepage is connect.agencyname.com/qrp/public/home
Agancy is not the same as agency. Is that a typo or does it illustrate a difference?
If it's a typo, then the domains are the same.
If you suspect a Proz profile to be fake, you should absolutely ask Proz support to look into it, as we cannot debate any named agencies here – unless we know for sure they're fake, in which case they're not actually agencies.
| | | |
Korana Lasić wrote:
They contacted me through proz messaging system and the email links to a proz.com profile that looks like it might be of the actual vendor for the agency.
Do you mean it came from a logged in user? I don't think it's possible to send logged-in messages linking to somebody else's profile. So I really don't understand what leads you to think they're impersonating somebody else - unless the message was from non-logged-in user and the profile link was just manually copy-pasted. Please clarify this.
There's plenty of legit offers like this and contrary to how the titles of these jobs sound ("internet analyst" lol) they're not for professionals. It's really primitive work that doesn't require any qualifications at all. So it's not surprising, if the email didn't sound "professional" to you. Quite often though, these jobs require a smartphone (if you're supposed to evaluate mobile websites). And yes, the recruiting always goes through some online form, just as you described. After filling it, you may never hear from them again.
So the only bit that seems weird to me is the payment with a check.
If I really wanted to find out, if it's legit or not, I'd contact the real company and ask whether it's them offering to pay exclusively with checks.
[Edited at 2020-03-07 16:46 GMT]
| | | | | Most definitely A TYPO, yes | Mar 7, 2020 |
Thomas T. Frost wrote: Korana Lasić wrote: The agency's actual homepage, when you look it up online and go to the homepage, is agencyname.com When you copy-paste it, it looks like this: https://agancyname.com/ The scammer's homepage is connect.agencyname.com/qrp/public/home Agancy is not the same as agency. Is that a typo or does it illustrate a difference? If it's a typo, then the domains are the same. If you suspect a Proz profile to be fake, you should absolutely ask Proz support to look into it, as we cannot debate any named agencies here – unless we know for sure they're fake, in which case they're not actually agencies.
Yup, it's a typo. I can't edit the original post, so this will have to do.
The domain and its copy-paste ARE the same. The two domains aren't. They are supposed to represent the same homepage so domains should be exactly the same.
| | |
|
|
|
| Is it common practice for an outsourcer to ask you to scan a QR code? | Mar 7, 2020 |
Katarzyna Slowikova wrote: Korana Lasić wrote:
They contacted me through proz messaging system and the email links to a proz.com profile that looks like it might be of the actual vendor for the agency.
Do you mean it came from a logged in user? I don't think it's possible to send logged-in messages linking to somebody else's profile. So I really don't understand what leads you to think they're impersonating somebody else - unless the message was from non-logged-in user and the profile link was just manually copy-pasted. Please clarify this. There's plenty of legit offers like this and contrary to how the titles of these jobs sound ("internet analyst" lol) they're not for professionals. It's really primitive work that doesn't require any qualifications at all. So it's not surprising, if the email didn't sound "professional" to you. Quite often though, these jobs require a smartphone (if you're supposed to evaluate mobile websites). And yes, the recruiting always goes through some online form, just as you described. After filling it, you may never hear from them again. So the only bit that seems weird to me is the payment with a check. If I really wanted to find out, if it's legit or not, I'd contact the real company and ask whether it's them offering to pay exclusively with checks. [Edited at 2020-03-07 16:46 GMT]
I wouldn't do that, but that's just me.
The domains seem different, that is not a good sign.
I'll talk to proz staff to see if I am overreacting.
Edit: I should say, that is a great point about the messaging system. I don't know what I was thinking, to be honest. For a moment, in my head, the Schrödinger's cat email both came trough the proz system and came from the outside. lol I need to catch up on sleep.
[Edited at 2020-03-07 18:08 GMT]
| | | | | Domains are the same | Mar 8, 2020 |
Korana Lasić wrote: The agency's actual homepage, when you look it up online and go to the homepage, is agencyname.com When you copy-paste it, it looks like this: https://agencyname.com/ The scammer's homepage is connect. agencyname.com/qrp/public/home When copy-pasted it looks like this: https://connect.agencyname.com/qrp/public/home […] The domain and its copy-paste ARE the same. The two domains aren't. They are supposed to represent the same homepage so domains should be exactly the same.
Your comments must be based on a misunderstanding of what a domain is. I have highlighted the domain names above. They are the same everywhere.
A domain doesn't change because you copy and paste it. It's just Google's latest stupid idea to hide a part of the URL unless you click on it. 'https://' is a part of the URL at all times, even when Google hides it. Unfortunately they don't help people understand URLs by hiding parts of them.
As for connect.agencyname.com, it's a subdomain of agencyname.com, i.e. still a part of the same domain.
So either all the URLs belong to the same scammer or they're all genuine.
| | | | | Oh dear, what a mess I made! *facepalm* | Mar 8, 2020 |
Thomas T. Frost wrote: Korana Lasić wrote: The agency's actual homepage, when you look it up online and go to the homepage, is agencyname.com When you copy-paste it, it looks like this: https://agencyname.com/ The scammer's homepage is connect. agencyname.com/qrp/public/home When copy-pasted it looks like this: https://connect.agencyname.com/qrp/public/home […] The domain and its copy-paste ARE the same. The two domains aren't. They are supposed to represent the same homepage so domains should be exactly the same. Your comments must be based on a misunderstanding of what a domain is. I have highlighted the domain names above. They are the same everywhere. A domain doesn't change because you copy and paste it. It's just Google's latest stupid idea to hide a part of the URL unless you click on it. 'https://' is a part of the URL at all times, even when Google hides it. Unfortunately they don't help people understand URLs by hiding parts of them. As for connect.agencyname.com, it's a subdomain of agencyname.com, i.e. still a part of the same domain. So either all the URLs belong to the same scammer or they're all genuine.
I can understand your confusion since I made a mess with the typo, and by unnecessarily bringing copy-paste into the whole conversation. As if that wasn't bad enough, I wrote the OP with the attitude of "the email both came through the proz system and from the outside", because (apparently) I'm just weirdly scatterbrain at the moment.
In my mind, I was going to address different people here and some of them not tech-savvy, so I was trying to simplify things. I now see I've confused things instead, at least for some people and perhaps for everyone.
That wasn't my intention, so I will say one more time: The domains aren't the same.
When I click on the link in the e-mail and go to the agencies page (a subdomain like you said), and then click to go to the homepage, the domain is: connect.agencyname.com/qrp/public/home
Thomas, it isn't: connect.agencyname.com. When you talk about a domain or a subdomain you need to be precise. Otherwise, you are adding to the confusion I created.
This isn't a matter of a domain and a subdomain either. The domain of the subdomain from the email is actually different than the actual domain of the agency.
When you look the agency up, then click to go to the homepage, the domain is: agencyname.com
Homepages (domains) should be exactly the same, it doesn't matter which subdomain(s) you are coming from.
I was just trying to be helpful.
I'm sorry I created confusion.
I didn't think to contact the proz staff because I am not a paying customer and I didn't want to bother them. They also have to approve every post we make, so I knew they'd be included in what I'm trying to say here. I do apologise to the staff if the right course of action was to contact them and not make this post, which I know am beginning to think it was.
I created great confusion with the typo and my Schrodinger's cat email blunder, so I am just trying to clarify the mess I made. Otherwise, everyone is well within their right to think it wasn't a scam. To scan QR codes with your phone anywhere you choose. To confuse domains and subdomains, especially since my OP was super messy...
I, honestly, was just trying to help. I'm sorry if I failed at it.
| | | |
I knowingly disregarded the QR code issue since I just don't know whether it's common. I use my smartphone in, let's say, very particular way... But judging from how most people are ignorant and (therefore) dismissive of the tons of privacy and security concerns around smartphones, I wouldn't be surprised if some agencies/companies used the QR codes in this way, without any second thoughts on how it's going to be perceived by the applicants. After all, Google requires Whatsapp users to scan a QR... See more I knowingly disregarded the QR code issue since I just don't know whether it's common. I use my smartphone in, let's say, very particular way... But judging from how most people are ignorant and (therefore) dismissive of the tons of privacy and security concerns around smartphones, I wouldn't be surprised if some agencies/companies used the QR codes in this way, without any second thoughts on how it's going to be perceived by the applicants. After all, Google requires Whatsapp users to scan a QR code on the computer screen, if they want to install the application in the computer and have it linked to their phone.
I think if you wanted to find out how common it is, it would make more sense to ask among testers of mobile video games, websites, apps etc. Translator's work doesn't normally require working on smartphone so we may not know about these practices. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| Thank you for sharing this! Could you submit a support request with more details? | Mar 8, 2020 |
Korana Lasić wrote:
I didn't think to contact the proz staff because I am not a paying customer and I didn't want to bother them. They also have to approve every post we make, so I knew they'd be included in what I'm trying to say here. I do apologise to the staff if the right course of action was to contact them and not make this post, which I know am beginning to think it was.
I created great confusion with the typo and my Schrodinger's cat email blunder, so I am just trying to clarify the mess I made. Otherwise, everyone is well within their right to think it wasn't a scam. To scan QR codes with your phone anywhere you choose. To confuse domains and subdomains, especially since my OP was super messy...
I, honestly, was just trying to help. I'm sorry if I failed at it.
Dear Korana,
Thank you for coming to the Scams forum to warn your colleagues about this. This could very well be a legitimate company using a subdomain and an unusually complicated registration process (for example, ProZ.com has the subdomain cafetran.proz.com for downloading CafeTran, and go.proz.com for the latest sales and campaigns); but it may also turn out to be a pay-to-work scam like this one: https://www.proz.com/forum/scams/341099-pay_to_work_scam_by_aosc_international.html or a phishing scheme.
It's always better to be careful, and contacting the main website through their public contact information/form is a good way to corroborate if the email and link you received were legitimate.
Always feel free to contact ProZ.com staff, and all the more if it's about a concern for your and your colleague's security. While we do moderate forums, there are also community moderators who can approve your posts, and that may cause us in the support team to miss them. You can always reach out to us here: https://www.proz.com/support?mode=ask
If you have a moment, please save the full email you received and send it attached to a support request, so that we can check the domain, IP, etc. and take appropriate action. Thank you so much!
Kind regards,
Andrea
| | | | | I'm afraid the information is not clear | Mar 8, 2020 |
Korana Lasić wrote:
That wasn't my intention, so I will say one more time: The domains aren't the same.
The only domain you have referred to is agencyname.com. This is a domain. That's still the same domain regardless of anything added to the end or any subdomain stuck onto the front (e.g. subdomain.agencyname.com).
Did you mean that some of the domains are different, e.g. anotheragencyname.com?
Korana Lasić wrote:
When I click on the link in the e-mail and go to the agencies page (a subdomain like you said), and then click to go to the homepage, the domain is: connect.agencyname.com/qrp/public/home
Thomas, it isn't: connect.agencyname.com.
It's still the same domain, i.e. agencyname.com. '/qrp/public/home' just refers to their internal file structure.
Korana Lasić wrote:
When you talk about a domain or a subdomain you need to be precise. Otherwise, you are adding to the confusion I created.
I'm using the standard terminology for the web, which you can look up at countless websites. You claim to be specialised in IT.
Korana Lasić wrote:
This isn't a matter of a domain and a subdomain either. The domain of the subdomain from the email is actually different than the actual domain of the agency.
So show us an example, then. Until now, you've only referred to one single domain, agencyname.com.
Korana Lasić wrote:
When you look the agency up, then click to go to the homepage, the domain is: agencyname.com
Homepages (domains) should be exactly the same, it doesn't matter which subdomain(s) you are coming from.
Companies organise their websites in many different ways, and it is generally pointless to try to analyse their full URL and subdomain structure. The thing that matters is that the domain, e.g. agencyname.com, is the same.
Korana Lasić wrote:
I didn't think to contact the proz staff because I am not a paying customer and I didn't want to bother them.
Reporting suspected scams is not bothering Proz support. It is the right thing to do if you suspect a profile to be fake. Your subscription status is irrelevant when it's about scams.
The QR code thing and cheque payment do sound odd. There is not enough information here to determine if this is a scam or not, not least since we cannot publish the actual agency name.
| | | | | IT mightn't be one of my specialities after all =) | Mar 8, 2020 |
I should've just said, "I got a suspicious email" and to proz support, not the general public.
I've seen the error of my ways, my sincere apologies. I've done as Andrea instructed. Cheers.
| | | | | I was wrong. The offer was a legit one | Mar 9, 2020 |
I got word from the proz support.
I just thought to correct my mistake.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » I got a scam email | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
