| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | BEWARE!!! – An efficient „scheme“ of cheating with payment via Western Union Thread poster: MariusV
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MariusV 
Lithuania
Local time: 12:53
English to Lithuanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | not only can make, but he did it | Jan 6, 2008 |
smiles wrote: MariusV wrote: Just for your personal "evaluation" (just asked that person about the situation and about the payment): Hi Hero, Are you threateting me? I hope you will tell me the same, face to face, on my next visit to Lithuania, or you might want to meet one of my friends, to explain you problems. Send me invoice, for job offer already done, I will pay only because I am honest and very reputable businessman, as far as you translation, I can place really BAD advertisement on you side, because I think it's not PRO at all, and the prices are horrible. See you later smart ass P.S. Could be funny if it was not really sad  Hope they will not shoot me )) [Edited at 2007-12-19 20:19] Sorry Marius to hear that, But what happens after that, have you been paid? I am in a similar situation with WU and every other information confirmed but not yet the money. I have checked on WU FAQ: " Can I cancel a cash payment transaction after sending it from a Western Union Agent location? Once a cash payment transaction has been completed at a Western Union Agent location, there are no refunds or cancellations. If a consumer wants to return goods purchased, they will need to follow the return policy and work with the company from which the goods were originally purchased." But now I am not sure, And it is weekend, cannot wait until dawn
One lives and one learns - the lesson is simple - as long as you wish to avoid malignant non-payment/cheating situations (let alone all such emails), 1) cash the money (i.e. put a full advance payment into your pocket) and then 2) translate what was asked to (never vice versa).
Well, I never believed one can cheat with payment by Western Union. But the "system" is very simple (well, I searched the Internet about that person and he appeared to be a "real professional", so no wonder here). A searched google for the name too (just made a mistake searching after, not before I accepted the job).
How it goes:
It is possible to make a Western Union transfer when the bank writes off the cash to be sent from the sender's credit card (not like you go to the bank, and pay in cash the money to be sent). The transaction is initiated, and when the receiver goes to the bank with the Western Union control code, the bank can see that the money was really sent by Western Union - all seems to be OK, the code is recognized, etc. BUT there appears to be a "technical problem" - money shall be written off from the senders credit card account, and, as long as the credit card account is empty, the Western Union transaction cannot be concluded (despite it shows a status "made") and the bank cannot pay the money to you just because at that other end the transaction was not completed. The bank politely tell you that “due to some technical reason with the sender, we cannot pay the cash to you now – please ask the sender to solve that out".
Then you think it is a pure technical problem. He says "Oh, really, sorry about that - I will clarify that out asap, but, would you please send me at least part of the translation as I really need a couple of documents already"...If you are naive enough to trust the person, you think tomorrow the problem with the money will be solved and you send part of the translation (moreover, that such client does not even negotiate about the rates and you do not want to lose such a "good client" just for "pure technical problem" with the payment and you think "good, I have a generous client" - cheater psychology again). And yes, we have a big time difference with the USA ("clarification of the problem" takes about 24 hours as a working day in the USA starts a dozen of hours later). And when you send part of the translation and go to the bank the next day (having received no answer from the "client"), the bank tells that the Western Union transaction is cancelled due to "insufficient funds on the credit card account of the sender"...Well, in my case, I had 21 pages, 7 pages were sent. Well, and for the "client", 2 more naive persons like me, and the job is done (as far as I know, if he hires an agency in the USA, the cost of such a job would be more than 1000 USD)...
So, I did not get the money and I do not even expect to get it as I dealt with a real "professional" cheater. I got scared when I saw some google results when I entered the name and the surname of that "generous client" - he is a suspect in a serious criminal case for money laundering using fake companies, using fake companies to make USA working permits for non-USA residents (and taking money for those permits), and other things like that. And the job he wanted to be done were documents of company registration, etc. - well, maybe better to forget about the payment - who knows and who can check if the documents are real (not fake ones that can be used for cheating) - if you put a signature on translation of a fake document used for a criminal offence, translation with your signature is a document too, and well, you could have a lot of serious problem providing a proof that you are not involved into anything too and that you just translated. My colleague translated a document some time ago, and it turned out that the source document was fake. He even had to go to the police for explanation as this document and its translation was used for bad purposes. And if a client is under a "supervision" of the USA state law enforcement authorities, well imagine what problems you might face.
After this situation I have put an end to jobs from unknown persons from the Internet for official documents. Email correspondence or other "non-official" things - OK, pay me money in advance and I will make that. But not legal documents any more Maybe the situation is still not so bad as it could end Maybe better to have no money than to have money and to have to go to police to explain that you are just a translator and did not know that your client is a serious criminal...
[Edited at 2008-01-06 10:55]
| | | | Tiến Anh Lê
Vietnam
Local time: 16:53
Member (2007)
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
| Got the money paid | Jan 8, 2008 |
MariusV,
First of all, thank you very much for all of your experience, explanation and your PM. They are very helpful and are really worth noticing.
Fortunately, in my case, I have things done safely. The sender also paid the WU fee for me. I asked for his full payment after I had sent him the first translation part as he was a private client (thanks to your warning).
Life ain't easy, true! but not too much complicated I guess!
[Edited at 2008-01-08 07:55]
| | | | MariusV
Lithuania
Local time: 12:53
English to Lithuanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | a lot depends on us too :) | Jan 8, 2008 |
smiles wrote:
MariusV,
First of all, thank you very much for all of your experience, explanation and your PM. They are very helpful and are really worth noticing.
Fortunately, in my case, I have things done safely. The sender also paid the WU fee for me. I asked for his full payment after I had sent him the first translation part as he was a private client (thanks too your warning).
Life ain't easy, true! but not too much complicated I guess!
I am glad that all was settled with you. I think that a lot in similar situations depends on us too. Sometimes it is better to be tough and to work on a risk-free basis. Especially for the clients from the Internet (private persons from abroad) - best to ask a full payment in advance and have a "psychological comfort" instead of a state of permanent anxiety "Will he/she really pay or not?". If that person really needs your services, he/she will see no problem for advance payment. Morever, by paying in advance, the client will fully obligate you to do the job. All things will be clear for all then
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