they steal your CV
your work
and your money
TRANSLATOR
SCAMMERS DIRECTORY
together, we'll make
their lives a living hell
scam noun \skæm\Your IP is: 35.168.18.209
A fraudulent or deceptive act or operation (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
A trick, a ruse; a swindle, a racket (Oxford English Dictionary)
arnaque (FR) • chanchullo, estafa (ES) • fraude, burla (PT) • truffa (IT) • Betrug (DE) • zwendel (NL) • svindel (SE)
Contact Us / Contáctenos / Contactez-nous / Contattaci

Last update: Monday, March 11, 2024 - 13:03 MDT

Flag Counter
SITE NAVIGATION
DIRECTORYInfo on scammersEmailsAccoladesFight BackContactsFAQToolsPrivacySearch
alort-call
NOTES ABOUT SCAMMERSEmail domains used by scammers
Notice BoardProtect yourself
Our Declaration of ResolveThe counter-scam
The scam explainedDo your part!
Scammers and PayPalScammers' Bank Accounts
Who are the scammers?Let's flood the scammers' mailboxes!
They want to "market" your CV?Don't keep it silent!
Get ALL the emails used by the scammersFake CVs Gallery
Spot the scammer, bust the scamDownloads Center
TRANSLATOR SCAMMERS DIRECTORY
View Newest scammersDownload the Offline Directory (PDF)  ➤  
SCAMMER-FIGHTING TOOLS
Ask the scammer for
a video call on Skype.
Or just a phone call...
Scammer busted!
Better yet!
Ask the translator to mail you a Notarized Identity Verification Statement...
Scammer busted!
DO NOT expect any honorable behavior
from the scammers.
They will sign
anything, use any name, provide any false information
they see fit for their scamming operation!
NEVER trust!
ALWAYS verify!
I am working in
translation field
from 10 years ago
and it is the fist
time company
asking me for ID.
Talk with another
translator and do not
talk with me again.
Scammer "Svetla Nencheva"

Asking the scammers for documentary identification proof?
Think again!

Scammers asking translators to give them the rope they'll use to hang them...
"You (The Translator) have to send a copy of his/her certificates, ID..."
Legitimate passport scan used by scammers...

When suspicious about some scammer's identification, you should never ask for a simple copy or scan of a documentary identification. Because pictures of ID cards are so widely available in the Internet, all scammers have to do is to copy one of these pictures, create a Gmail address matching the name on the picture, paste this information on a stolen CV and, voilà, he/she in business and ready to make proof of his/her new identity. Also, scammers may have tricked real translators into providing them scans of their own identification documents ("because of the ID theft going around in the translation community", they'll say...). Bear also in mind that images or PDF documents can be easily manipulated and modified.

Also, a smart scammer may ask the legitimate translator for the data needed to fill out the W-8/W-9 tax forms (USA) and use such data to provide his/her client with a "genuine" form.

Fake W-9 Form (USA) "signed" by a scammer impersonating a US translator
Fake W-8 Form (USA) "signed" by a "Gloria Fiorantino"
Can you provide your VAT number? No problem, said scammer Ola Kari

Keep also in mind that scammers will promptly violate any honor system they may be asked to live by: they will quickly use fake names and false signatures on any document or grossly misrepresent themselves to achieve their purposes.

Your company is the first to ask for official documents to check my identity. I have never sent personal documents by email such as my photo or university certificates this is because the net is always being hacked. I am sorry to receive such a request from you. — Scammer "Gabriele Broszat", after being asked by "her" victim to provide proof of "her" identity. First, "she" gave lovatostefan@gmail.com as "her" PayPal ID. When questioned about "her" use of the same address used by another Arabic translator, she provided liancarmen@gmail.com as another PayPal ID. When questioned further, she provided gabriele.broszat@gmail.com as "her" PayPal ID. Good news: scammer is still waiting for "her" money!

When in doubt, ask the scammer for certified true (i.e., notarized) copies of his/her documents, or a Notarized Identity Verification statement (see below). Of course, for someone residing, for instance, in France, the certification/notarization should be done by a French Notary, and not by a Notary in Abu Dhabi, "because I'm visiting some friends here...". One scammer, impersonating a translator in USA, failed to send a W9 form to the client and tried to use the "friend and travel" trick: "I will send you my friend's details to send money via MoneyGram, as I am on travel (!!!)".

Here is the "proof of ID" that a scammer (Martin / Martine Isaac) sent to a company suspicious of her true identity (actually, "Martine" is a ghost created by the Palestinian Translation Secrets). Remember, any stolen ID doc can be used to create a fake identity. And a stolen smartphone or camera can provide a criminal the photos needed to create another fake identity, without the need to copy photos from the Internet:

Martine French ID Card (not retouched; received as is)
The true "Martine" exposed

Some more examples of fake, doctored, stolen, copied online ID documentts used by scammers to convice their victims of their fake identities. With documents) provided by the real person to the scammers, they even created FAKE profiles on Translation Directory and Translators Café...

Katie Toplies passport
Taichi Yamato passport
Thomas Belz passport
Mari Suzuki passport & photo used on online profile
David Linton ID card
Ivana Polic ID card
Shayma Ali passport

Below, we show you some documentary ID pictures collected from the Internet. Some of these "ID cards" don't even legally exist. Can you spot the fake ones?

ID Card Austria
ID Card Brazil
ID Card France
ID Card Germany
ID Card The Netherlands
ID Card Portugal
ID Card United Kingdom
ID (Green) Card United States
Identity Documents Worldwide

An excellent resource by Wikepedia on the various identity documents used worldwide.

My CV Was Scammed! Now What?  ➤  
Spotting Fake CVs  ➤  
Scammers, Emails, and Email Headers

TRANSLATORS, BEWARE!
Any documents, certificates, diplomas, professional references, etc. sent to the scammers WILL be used by them to impersonate you with a higher degree of credibility. Do NOT give scammers the rope for them to hang you!

Sending scans of your documents/credentials to prospective clients?
NOTARIZED IDENTITY VERIFICATION
Notarized Identity Verification

To confirm the identity of a translator — in case of well founded doubts about his/her identity/nationality/place of residence provided online or on a CV — ask him/her to have this statement notarized by an official notary public. And, because the CV/Identity theft is based on the scammers using their own emails, ONE EMAIL ADDRESS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS FORM. After certification by a Notary, the original form should be MAILED to the requester. For a higher degree of security, this form SHOULD NOT BE SENT by electronic means (i.e., scanned, emailed of faxed).

JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST TRANSLATOR SCAMMERS
TRANSLATORS: Accept their jobs. Delay delivery. Deliver nothing.
COMPANIES: Setup bogus, juicy jobs. Demand identification. Pay nothing.
AND, ABOVE ALL: Always expose their names and emails online.
REMEMBER!
Scammers never
use their emails
as PayPal IDs.
I don't have a bank account as I don't
pay taxes.
"French" scammer's excuse to have payment sent
to a Gmail PayPal ID
in Palestine...
My friends will send
me the money.
Send money to my friend via
MoneyGram,
as I am on travel.
"US" scammer's excuse to have payment sent
to a MoneyGram
account in
Palestine...
I don't use phone for business. Send
message in my email.
Scammer's excuse
to avoid being
caught on phone
I can't speak on
phone. I have
sore throat.
Scammer's excuse
to avoid being
caught on phone
I can't speak on
Skype. I'm driving.
30 seconds later, scammer sends
an email...
I am very ill and I
must go to hospital
for treatment. I can
not work for you.
Scammer's reply,
when asked to
verify his identity
I have this phone number, as I am
on visit to the
Holy Land.
"Colombian" scammer's excuse
for giving a Palestine mobile number as point of contact
Please use my friend name when you
transfer the payment because it is my
friend account
not my account
Payment
"instructions"
from ghost "Roman Brenan" created
by scammers
I provided you my
friend account as
I have many issues
with the paypal
Payment
"instructions"
from scammer
Ahmed Al-Qirawi
behind the scam
of Azul Benito
I am now outside
France in a charity
translation work
in middle east
Payment
"instructions"
from scammer
Ahmed Al-Nahhal
behind the scam
of "Isabelle Simon"
My brother is now in
Palestine in
Bethlehem Tourism
went to visit churches,
he have a bank
account.
Payment
"instructions"
from scammer
Ola Kari

Online Tools

Video Chat: The Ultimate Weapon Against Scammers

Video calls are the ultimate weapon against scammers, and https:/videolink2.me is a great tool to expose them: free, in Web (nothing to install) and no registration needed. Just open your browser, allow the tool to use your camera and microphone and send the link to the other party. You'll hear the most amazing excuses: "bad connection", "camera broken", "I'm driving", "no camera", "I have a sore throat", "I don't use chat for business, just email" or (our favorite): «I want to express my apologie on your request because I have a speaking problems, my vocal cords damaged due to an old accident.»

Confidential scammer-fighting tool

Contact us for more information (of course, we'll respond only to genuine translators and translation companies).

Translators, Interpreters and Linguists New Client Checklist
Industry Standards and Beyond: The Essentials of Translator Vetting (a very useful reading, by Cyracom).
Locating the scammers: where is this email coming from?

Lookup the email sender's IP and run a geographical search here: utrace.de.
Or, trace the source IP address of an email based on the email headers here:
Google Admin Toolbox Messageheader
Note: Emails sent from Gmail will ONLY trace back to Google IP addresses (in the USA).

How can I open / view an email header?
Download and read our Report.
Email Addresses Checker
This email checking tool connects to the mail server and verifies whether the email address exists.
Where Scammers Live: Fake and Fantastic Addresses on Fake CVs  ➤  
Willing to look legitimate, scammers frequently include street addresses and look-right phone numbers on their fake CVs. Checking this data is a powerful tool in identifying scammers and fake CVs.
How to take down a translation industry spammer

Learn from a freelance translator how to set up a trap to catch a scammer. In a nutshell, he setup a password protected job offer on his website and demanded the interested parties to access it. Using the server logs, he was able to find out that the "translator", Vera Kahar, was, in fact a ghost created by known scammers from 24translate: Hamza Mohammed (hamza@24translate.net). Read more.

PRADO – Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online

PRADO is a multilingual site with information on authentic identity and travel documents from Europe. It includes information on the validity and on other legal aspects, as well as technical descriptions (including descriptions of some of the most important security features) of these documents. PRADO is organized and hosted by the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU (GSC), in the Directorate-General for Justice and Home Affairs.

Be aware of fake identification documents

These are just a small sample of Internet sources of FAKE ID DOCUMENTS:
www.fakeidentification.co.uk
www.fakeiduk.com
www.reallygoodfakes.com
www.youfinishit.com
www.fakeidking.com

IBAN Checker

The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is an internationally agreed means of identifying bank accounts across national borders with a reduced risk of transcription errors. For the purpose of this website, this checker serves to verify the validity of a bank account number provided for payment.

SWIFT / BIC Code Search / Validation

An IBAN (International Bank Account Number) is used internationally to uniquely identify the sort code and account number of a customer at a financial institution. While IBANs are predominantly used in Europe, the following countries also use IBANs — Bahrain, Israel, Palestine Territories, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The IBANs of each country differ, they may be longer or shorter depending upon local numbering standards.

SIREN / SIRET Validator (France)

Any bona fide professional or business in France will have a SIRET number. The first nine digits identify the trading entity and the last five digits the center where the business was registered. The first nine digits of the SIRET number make up what is called the SIREN number (Système informatisé du répertoire national des entreprises et des établissements). The SIRET number should appear on all business paperwork and publicity; which includes the likes of business cards websites. If the number is not visible or the business owner is unable to give you a SIRET number, you should strongly question his/her identity. BUT, BE CAREFUL: SCAMMERS MAY HAVE OBTAINED THE SIREN / SIRET NUMBER FROM THEIR VICTIMS!

CVR (Central Business Register) (Denmark)

The Central Business Register (CVR) is the central register containing primary data on all businesses in Denmark, regardless of economic and organizational structure. CVR also covers both public and private businesses.

Generic VAT Number Validator (for more reliable results, use the VIES database)

This checks the validity of the format of an EU VAT number (Norwegian, Serbian, and Swiss VAT formats are also supported). Note that it DOES NOT check whether the code is currently allocated — this may done by interrogating the EU VIES database (next link). All necessary check digit validation is performed except for the new style French TVA numbers, which are not believed to be yet in use, and the new style Irish numbers.

Enter VAT Number:

VAT Identification Number Validation (VIES / European Europe)

In the European Union, a VAT identification number can be verified online at the EU's official VIES website, it confirms that the number is currently allocated and can provide the name or other identifying details of the entity to whom the identifier has been allocated. It is one of the most reliable sources to validate the professional status of translators in Europe. BUT, BE CAREFUL: SCAMMERS MAY HAVE OBTAINED THE VAT NUMBER FROM THEIR VICTIMS!

UID / VAT Identification Number Validation (Switzerland)

Information and validation of the Value Added Tax Number (VAT) and Business Identification Number (BID/UID/IDE/IDI) in Switzerland.

D&B D-U-N-S® Number Lookup (USA and International)

The Data Universal Numbering System, abbreviated as DUNS or D-U-N-S, is a proprietary system developed and regulated by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) that assigns a unique numeric identifier, referred to as a "DUNS number" to a single business entity. It is a common standard worldwide. More than 50 global, industry, and trade associations recognize, recommend, or require DUNS. The DUNS database contains over 100 million entries for businesses throughout the world, including many translation companies.

Social Security Number Verification Service (US Government site)
SSN Validator (Not affiliated with the US Government)

In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to US citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents.
BE CAREFUL: SCAMMERS MAY HAVE OBTAINED THE SSN FROM THEIR VICTIMS!

ABA Number / Bank Routing Number (United States)

The Bank Routing Number, sometime referred as ABA Number, is a 9 digit number assigned by the American Bankers Association (ABA) to uniquely identify the bank on which payment is drawn. The bank routing number is also referred as the "check routing number" because it generally appears at the bottom of a US check.

EFT Routing Number / MICR Number (Transit Number) (Canada)
The Financial Institutions Branch Directory (FIBD) provides routing numbers and addresses for branches of all Canadian financial institutions.
Generic Credit Card Number Validator

This function checks the validity of a credit card specified by the supplied parameters containing the card number and card type. Note that this routine does not supply credit card verification functionality, which can only be provided from within the credit card company server. This function DOES NOT capture, log or transmit the input.

Select credit card:
Enter number:
UK and International Phone Information

The International codes section of The Phone Book online (by the British Telecommunications plc) allows you to find the dialling code for a particular Country along with the codes for the major Cities within that Country, or the Country that relates to a particular dialling code.

US Phone Validator (United States)

Is it a cell or is it a landline? Check US phone numbers for free to learn the line type and phone company!

How to Trace the IP Address of a Skype Call

Scammers love Skype! In their profiles they will tell you all sorts of lies, including their location, which is frequently fake, in a effort to hide their real whereabouts. Skype only displays the username of the person on the other end of the call, providing you with no way of determining where the call originate from. By using your computer's command prompt and some online tools, you can determine a caller's IP address' physical location.

Postal Code Lookup (Worldwide)

Scammers will use the most fantastic addresses in their scammed CVs or in any other documents they may be asked to sign. In one instance, a scammer trying to get paid by a US company even signed a W-9 form (which is for US residents ONLY) and provided a fake address in Jerusalem with a "00972" postal code. Jerusalem postal codes start by 9...

Search by Image (Google)

Sometimes, scammers will use images on their fake CVs or online profiles (like G+). Run a search by image and see who does the image belong to.

Creating Secured PDF Documents (PDF)

Instructions on how to secure your PDF documents. NOTE: This will NOT prevent your CV to be hijacked by scammers, but it will slow down and make their task somewhat more difficult.

Words of Appreciation
Country IP Blocks

To the folks at Country IP Blocks in Prescott, AZ, United States, our heartfelt thanks for their kind support.

Search Our Website
In the search box below, use quotes to improve your search of names, e.g. "Agatha Colten".
To search for email addresses, there is NO need to use quotes, e.g., alexander.b.ackerman@gmail.com
In Google, write your search string (normally a name or email) with quotes (with names) and follow it
with the words 'translator scammers': "Andrew Wright" translator scammers
Contact Us! Send us the scammers' detailsHave you been scammed? Know of any other scammers?
Send us the details: Scammers' email AND fake CV.
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Twitter
Security TrackingFor our security, all visitors are tracked!
Your IP is: 35.168.18.209
Your Time of Arrival: 07:51:30 AM MDT
Stop Spam Harvesters, Join Project Honey Pot
HTML hit counter - Quick-counter.net
green-solar

ABOUT US: This website is maintained by volunteers from the TRANSLATOR SCAMMERS INTELLIGENCE GROUP to fight the plague of translators' impersonation and identity and CV theft and fake translation companies running wild in the translation industry.

MISSION & PURPOSE: Our Mission and the Purpose of this website and its content is to publicly expose the scammers' own identities (fake or real) and to harm and disrupt their activities to the greatest extent possible. We heartily thank all translators who have had their CVs and identities hijacked by scammers and sent us the details of the scam and also all translation company owners and PMs from the four corners of the world who have sent us fake CVs and other precious information about the scammers operation and identities.

DISCLAIMER: We hope that this Directory will be useful to anyone seeking information about translator scammers and impersonators. All data published is thoroughly verified and deemed to be reliable at the time of publishing. However, the publishers of this website make no warranties of any kind about the accuracy of this website content and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to performance, fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the use of or inability to use the content of this website. No liability will also be accepted by the publishers of this website for the way in which visitors interpret and/or use this website's content.

WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR UNCONTROLLED COPIES OF THIS WEBSITE OR ANY OF ITS FILES POSTED OUTSIDE OF OUR DOMAIN.

IMPRINT & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (COPYRIGHT): This domain, website, and its content are the property of the TRANSLATOR SCAMMERS INTELLIGENCE GROUP and cannot be reproduced or modified without permission from their proprietors/authors. This website was first published online on February 15, 2014 – 22:00 UTC.

DirectoryInfo on scammersEmailsAccoladesFight BackContactsFAQToolsPrivacySearch
Copyright© 2013-2024 TRANSLATOR SCAMMERS INTELLIGENCE GROUPPage last modified: 11 Mar 2024 13:03 MDT