Last updated: 17/03/2022
It’s common for professionals to work and collaborate remotely, especially in the language service industry. At TOPPAN Digital Language, we collaborate remotely with our internal teams and professional translators from across the globe to meet the expectations of our clients and our business operations.
Unfortunately, as the language service industry conducts more of its operations in this way, translation scams increase.
Recently, we became aware of a new TOPPAN Digital Language scam on freelancer.com and upwork.com. Individuals who are unaffiliated with TOPPAN Digital Language, using fake email addresses, are posing as TOPPAN Digital Language staff and posting job ads to attract freelance translators.
Here is how the translation scam is conducted:
- A job offer is posted on Freelancer.com which can vary as they are using the platform to attract freelancers – file conversion, ‘Word Typing’ or translation
- A freelancer contacts them about the ad using the Freelancer.com messaging service
- The freelancer is then redirected to Telegram to carry on the conversation there
- After explaining how they work (in poor English) the scammer sends a link to the TOPPAN Digital Language website and ask the freelancer to check out ‘their company’
- They then send a 100 page PDF document in English to translate (the document is called ‘Short stories from 100 Selected Stories, by O Henry’) and offer $3500 for the translation and give a deadline of 3 days
- When the translation is received and completed, they tell the freelancer that they first need to get their ID on their system to receive their full payment – the registration to get the ID cost $200, which the freelancer has to pay
Please note: you do not need to pay a fee to register as a freelance translator with TOPPAN Digital Language.
Below is a list of names involved in this current TOPPAN Digital Language scam:
- Scammer name: Steve Donion – job posted on Freelancer.com then redirected to use Telegram
- Scammer name: Edwin Aaron -Job posted on Freelancer.com then redirected to use Telegram & SMS
- Scammer name: unknown – Job posted on Freelancer.com also using webtranslatemedia@gmail.com as an email address
- Scammer name: Fernandez Karlous – Job posted on Freelancer.com (linked to Steve Donion) and redirected to WhatsApp
- Scammer name: Johnny Arnold – Job posted on Freelancer.com then directed to Telegram
- Scammer name: Mark Braud – Job posted on Freelancer.com then directed to Telegram
- Scammer name: Steven George – Job posted on Freelancer.com then directed to Telegram
Please note that some of these scammers use language service provider logos as their profile picture in their WhatsApp/Telegram profiles.
How to avoid a translation scam
At TOPPAN Digital Language, we do not allocate work via SMS, social media or messaging services. All work is conducted via a centralised portal and a link to the portal is sent via a verified TOPPAN Digital Language.com email address. As scammers are posing as various language service providers, please ignore any approaches on social media or anyone using SMS, Whatsapp or other messaging apps to allocate your TOPPAN Digital Language work.
It‘s important to be vigilant when looking for work as a translator so you can avoid being a victim of a freelancer.com scam or a translation scam via email. Below are a few ways you can avoid them:
- Check for spelling or grammar errors in the email or ad
- Avoid emails from free email addresses such as @yahoo.com or @gmail.com
- Avoid emails that have no further company information or affiliation other than a name and email address
- Do not complete work that has been allocated via SMS, social media or messaging platform
- Always search for more information about the person and/or company online
If you want to report a scam, verify an email address or want more information about how we work with freelance translators, please contact us directly at security@toppandigital.com.
