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Potential French translation scam?
Thread poster: Chi Ying LEE
Chi Ying LEE
Chi Ying LEE
France
Local time: 21:52
Member (2023)
English to Chinese
+ ...
Oct 31, 2023

Hi everyone,

I recently received a request to translate a document from French to Chinese.

The document is about communication and motivation within companies. They claimed that it was for a business training course.

They contacted me by the name of Christophe Vanzal but there aren't any matching social media accounts in this name.

The company name is AB Consulting, located in Paris.
I did some research with the details they gave me, and ... See more
Hi everyone,

I recently received a request to translate a document from French to Chinese.

The document is about communication and motivation within companies. They claimed that it was for a business training course.

They contacted me by the name of Christophe Vanzal but there aren't any matching social media accounts in this name.

The company name is AB Consulting, located in Paris.
I did some research with the details they gave me, and this company indeed exists.

However, throughout our conversations (emails, phone calls), I feel that there are so many things that are ambiguous and confusing. That's why I am not sure if it is legit.

Has anyone been contacted by the same person or been asked to translate the same document?

Many thanks! ▲ Collapse
 
Noura Tawil
Noura Tawil  Identity Verified
Syria
Local time: 22:52
Member (2013)
English to Arabic
. Oct 31, 2023

Hi,
Does he use an email address with the company's domain?
You can always contact the company directly and ask if this person is one of their employees.

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Daniel Fernandes
David Manuel Díaz Sánchez
Philippe Etienne
Dalia Nour
 
Chi Ying LEE
Chi Ying LEE
France
Local time: 21:52
Member (2023)
English to Chinese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
. Oct 31, 2023

Hi Noura,

Thank you for your reply.

No, they just use a Gmail.

I looked up the company with the registration number and found their registration details in France. But they do not have a website or contact methods.

That company was founded just 1 year ago, so it might be possible that they do not have an email domain and website. But then, scammers can also find all these infos and use that to trick us...

Evandro Costa
 
Matthieu Ledoré
Matthieu Ledoré
France
Local time: 21:52
Member (2022)
English to French
+ ...
Other contact methods Oct 31, 2023

Hello Chi Ying,

If they are indeed the company I have found, you could try:
- Their contact form: http://www.ab-consulting.fr/forms/contact.php
- Or their LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ab-consulting-france/about/

Hope... See more
Hello Chi Ying,

If they are indeed the company I have found, you could try:
- Their contact form: http://www.ab-consulting.fr/forms/contact.php
- Or their LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ab-consulting-france/about/

Hope this helps! ▲ Collapse


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Dalia Nour
 
Chi Ying LEE
Chi Ying LEE
France
Local time: 21:52
Member (2023)
English to Chinese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
. Oct 31, 2023

Matthieu Ledoré wrote:

Hello Chi Ying,

If they are indeed the company I have found, you could try:
- Their contact form: http://www.ab-consulting.fr/forms/contact.php
- Or their LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ab-consulting-france/about/

Hope this helps!


Hi Matthieu,

Thank you very much for your input!

According to the infos they gave me, this is what I found regarding their company:
https://www.societe.com/societe/ab-consulting-919810325.html

They were founded just last year, so I think these are two separate companies. And on this page, there is no contact info.

The director is Mr. Morike KEBE, which is not the same person who contacted me. But it could always be someone else in the company, so I really don't know.
 
Lieven Malaise
Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 21:52
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
. Oct 31, 2023

Chi Ying LEE wrote:
No, they just use a Gmail.


Your contact person doesn't have a public internet profile, he uses a Gmail address and the company doesn't even have a website. I think that's reason enough to walk away.

Wolfgang Schoene
expressisverbis
Dan Lucas
Thomas Pfann
Barbara Carrara
Michele Fauble
Zea_Mays
 
YUNJU AN
YUNJU AN
France
Local time: 21:52
Member (2023)
English to Korean
+ ...
Hi I just sent you the email would you check it please? Nov 3, 2023

Chi Ying LEE wrote:

Hi everyone,

I recently received a request to translate a document from French to Chinese.

The document is about communication and motivation within companies. They claimed that it was for a business training course.

They contacted me by the name of Christophe Vanzal but there aren't any matching social media accounts in this name.

The company name is AB Consulting, located in Paris.
I did some research with the details they gave me, and this company indeed exists.

However, throughout our conversations (emails, phone calls), I feel that there are so many things that are ambiguous and confusing. That's why I am not sure if it is legit.

Has anyone been contacted by the same person or been asked to translate the same document?

Many thanks!
 
Chi Ying LEE
Chi Ying LEE
France
Local time: 21:52
Member (2023)
English to Chinese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Scammer confirmed Nov 3, 2023

Thanks everyone for the input.

I haven't disclosed additional info to them but some new incidents happened, and I now confirm that this is a scammer. Does anyone know where I should report to?
 
Elisabeth Richard
Elisabeth Richard  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 21:52
Member (2018)
English to French
+ ...
I was also contacted by this person Nov 3, 2023

This person contacted me for an English to French job. I was trying to look them up since they didn't provide any info and found this post instead. If you have any more detail about why they are a scam don't hesitate to let me know here.
 
Chi Ying LEE
Chi Ying LEE
France
Local time: 21:52
Member (2023)
English to Chinese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
. Nov 3, 2023

Elisabeth Richard wrote:

This person contacted me for an English to French job. I was trying to look them up since they didn't provide any info and found this post instead. If you have any more detail about why they are a scam don't hesitate to let me know here.


They will tell you that they made a mistake during the wire transfer and ask you to return the money etc.
And then, usually what happens is either (from what I know):

-you return the money, then they withdraw the 1st transfer. So you lose the money that you've given them;
-you don't return the money, they tell the bank that you are the scammer instead and the bank freezes your account and you lose the money and your bank account.

[Edited at 2023-11-03 12:38 GMT]
 


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Potential French translation scam?







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