| Páginas no tópico: [1 2] > | Is payment by cheque *ever* not a scam? Tópico cartaz: JaneD
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JaneD 
Suécia
Local time: 19:03
Membro (2009)
sueco para inglês
+ ...
After having read yet another scam warning on this site, I find myself wondering whether translators are ever legitimately paid by cheque nowadays?
I have never - so far - been taken in by a scam, and they always seem pretty obvious to me from the language used in the initial email, but I wonder whether for translators whose native language is not English, and who are therefore perhaps not as attuned to the warning signals, a simple "cheques are always a sign of a scam" would be a v... See more After having read yet another scam warning on this site, I find myself wondering whether translators are ever legitimately paid by cheque nowadays?
I have never - so far - been taken in by a scam, and they always seem pretty obvious to me from the language used in the initial email, but I wonder whether for translators whose native language is not English, and who are therefore perhaps not as attuned to the warning signals, a simple "cheques are always a sign of a scam" would be a valid rule?
So I'd love to hear whether anyone here has been legitimately paid by cheque recently?
Jane ▲ Collapse
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Some of my regular and reliable clients in my own country (UK) pay me by cheque, and I'm happy with that, partly because I want to encourage the continued use of cheques - our high street banks here are threatening (for their own benefit, of course) to discontinue cheques completely.
However, I'd never agree to accept a cheque from abroad, particularly from a new client, and particularly if they offered to pay more than my fee in advance. I know that is probably the sign of a scam.
B... See more Some of my regular and reliable clients in my own country (UK) pay me by cheque, and I'm happy with that, partly because I want to encourage the continued use of cheques - our high street banks here are threatening (for their own benefit, of course) to discontinue cheques completely.
However, I'd never agree to accept a cheque from abroad, particularly from a new client, and particularly if they offered to pay more than my fee in advance. I know that is probably the sign of a scam.
Best wishes,
Jenny ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tony M
França
Local time: 19:03
Membro
francês para inglês
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SITE LOCALIZER | Could be another helpful pointer | Nov 10, 2011 |
JaneD wrote:
... I find myself wondering whether translators are ever legitimately paid by cheque nowadays?
So I'd love to hear whether anyone here has been legitimately paid by cheque recently?
Well, in my case, the answer is yes, often! However, always with the proviso that the cheques clearly must be drawn in my currency and on a bank in my country.
I think you make a very valid point, that non-native EN speakers might not pick up on some of the language clues in the messages; however, if these people are also in other countries, then they may also be used to having to accept odd payment methods, so the global rejection of cheques might not be much help to them. That said, however, I can't help feeling that where international payments are concerned, any form of cheque is so impractical as to be, like you say, some kind of a warning sign.
I said before in another thread, but regrettably was misunderstood, that people who are desperate for work (and I mean that in a most sympathetic way, not as a criticism!) are sadly vulnerable to such scams, as their eagerness for the job may cause them to overlook or dismiss some of the warning signs.
But as you say, putting together a sort of list of 'warning signs' to be considered as a whole may help people to avoid getting caught.
| | | | JaneD
Suécia
Local time: 19:03
Membro (2009)
sueco para inglês
+ ...
CRIADOR(A) DO TÓPICO | Warning sign list | Nov 10, 2011 |
Tony M wrote:
But as you say, putting together a sort of list of 'warning signs' to be considered as a whole may help people to avoid getting caught.
This was the kind of thing I was thinking about. I often see these "possible scam?" threads, and it always seems pretty clear where they are scams (though I think it was you, Tony, who had one recently that looked like a scam and which may not have been?)
To me there seem to be clear if subtle differences between the poor English in a request for translation - which I see every day on the ProZ job list - and the poor English in a scam email. Unfortunately I think you really need to be a native speaker to pick up on those clues.
So I was wondering whether there are other indicators we could use, and which could be compiled into a guide for new, non-English native or other vulnerable groups of translators to minimise the success rate of these scammers.
As both you and Jenny are paid by cheque within your respective countries of residence, maybe it's true to say that payment by *international* cheque is something to be avoided?
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My last check was cashed about 5-6 years ago. Ever since then, all customers prefer to send a wire transfer or a Paypal payment. It is much more convenient for them and for me. I see no legitimate reason to use checks these days, other than delaying the payment...
| | | | | I have several clients who prefer to pay by cheque | Nov 10, 2011 |
Especially law offices seem to be partial to cheques.
| | | | JaneD
Suécia
Local time: 19:03
Membro (2009)
sueco para inglês
+ ...
CRIADOR(A) DO TÓPICO | National or international? | Nov 10, 2011 |
That's interesting, Stanislaw - and I can imagine that law firms would love cheques (more paper to push about and delay!) But are these clients within your country, or are they international?
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US agencies usually "try" to pay by cheque since bank transfers to European countries are too expensive. They sometimes accept to use Paypal instead but since both of those methods are too expensive for me, I usually do not accept to work for US clients any more... However, this has nothing to do with the scam problem. I have several friends who receive US cheques without problems.
Alessandra
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| Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | Giles Watson
Itália
Local time: 19:03
italiano para inglês
In memoriam | Cost of bank transfers | Nov 10, 2011 |
US clients - publishers, not agencies, in my case - sometimes prefer to pay by cheque because of the exorbitant cost of bank transfers to Europe. I have received dollar cheques this year and none of them bounced 
[Edited at 2011-11-10 09:27 GMT]
| | | | Sonia Hill
Reino Unido
Local time: 18:03
italiano para inglês
| Not always a scam | Nov 10, 2011 |
In my experience clients in the US tend to want to pay by cheque. This has never been a problem for me and the bank fee to cash a foreign currency cheque is reasonable if the cheque is big enough (certainly much cheaper than Paypal). I also have a UK client who always pays by cheque.
| | | | JaneD
Suécia
Local time: 19:03
Membro (2009)
sueco para inglês
+ ...
CRIADOR(A) DO TÓPICO | Back to the drawing board | Nov 10, 2011 |
Well, it was a nice idea, but it seems pretty clear that there can be valid reasons why clients would want to pay by cheque... Back to the drawing board with this one, then!
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David Wright
Áustria
Local time: 19:03
alemão para inglês
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| Cheques in the EU | Nov 10, 2011 |
or at least large parts of it don't exist anymore - I cannot pay by cheque, nor, I suspect, can I pay a cheque into my account. It is all done by bank transfer (either free or low cost, even to non-euro EU members)
| | | | Thayenga
Alemanha
Local time: 19:03
Membro (2009)
inglês para alemão
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| Non-EU checks | Nov 10, 2011 |
David Wright wrote:
or at least large parts of it don't exist anymore - I cannot pay by cheque, nor, I suspect, can I pay a cheque into my account. It is all done by bank transfer (either free or low cost, even to non-euro EU members)
I fully agree with David.
Furthermore, to cash a e. g. USD check at a EU bank is possible, however, the fees involved are amounting to EUR 40.00 or more.
With PayPal, Moneybookers etc. there is actually no need to accept checks.
| | | | Angie Garbarino
Local time: 19:03
Membro (2003)
francês para italiano
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Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote: My last check was cashed about 5-6 years ago. Ever since then, all customers prefer to send a wire transfer or a Paypal payment. It is much more convenient for them and for me. I see no legitimate reason to use checks these days, other than delaying the payment...
To me paypal is the best way to receive and send payments outside Europe, no need to use checks nowadays.
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