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New Scam: Penguin Random House
Thread poster: Kevin Fulton
Tatiana Welch
Tatiana Welch  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 23:18
French to English
+ ...
Text message from Bayer Jun 14, 2019

Hi all,

First of all, thank you for sharing.

I received a text message from someone who says he's Mr. Robert Behn from Bayer, offering me a position of "EDITOR/PROOFREADER/TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER" based on my profile on ATA. Does it seem odd to you to be contacted by text message?

Thanks for you input.

Tatiana


 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:18
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
Text messages are a new ploy Jun 14, 2019

I wonder where these people are getting cell phone numbers. Is your posted on a web site somewhere?

 
Tatiana Welch
Tatiana Welch  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 23:18
French to English
+ ...
Scam using Bayer as pretext Jun 16, 2019

Kevin Fulton wrote:

I wonder where these people are getting cell phone numbers. Is your posted on a web site somewhere?


Yes, mine was posted on the ATA website.

The latest development is that I answered and immediately received a text message similar to what other have mentioned about an interview on Google hangouts, which was also immediately followed by a phone call from someone who had either an African or Indian accent (the line was not very good).

My experience with scammers is that they then to push you to act quickly. So bottom line, I have decided that this is a scam too. The phone number they used is 646.494.3733.

Just got confirmation from Bayer that it's a scam.


 
aealair
aealair
United States
Local time: 05:18
Swedish to English
+ ...
They're targeting ALTA members too Jun 20, 2019

I just got the same thing from "Tricia Narwani" saying she found my profile on the American Literary Translators Association site. I thought the wording of the email seemed a bit odd, as well as the email address ([email protected]) so I googled it, which turned up this thread. Glad I found it before they got me to do an interview!

 
CARRIE TYLER
CARRIE TYLER
United States
Local time: 02:18
Spanish to English
+ ...
PRH email scam Jul 1, 2019

I received this email scam today also. Thank you

 
Elena Woontner (X)
Elena Woontner (X)
United States
Local time: 02:18
English to Italian
+ ...
"New Scam: Penguin Random House" Jul 2, 2019

I have just agreed to be interviewed by a Stephanie Riordan after receiving her email. I saw that there was something amiss, but you never know with globalization. First of all, after sending me the same info in the email below, she made me waste 40 minutes without giving me any new information or actually interviewing me. So I asked her to show me their standard contract for legitimate contract jobs or to confirm that this was a direct employment process. I also said that I would not accept to... See more
I have just agreed to be interviewed by a Stephanie Riordan after receiving her email. I saw that there was something amiss, but you never know with globalization. First of all, after sending me the same info in the email below, she made me waste 40 minutes without giving me any new information or actually interviewing me. So I asked her to show me their standard contract for legitimate contract jobs or to confirm that this was a direct employment process. I also said that I would not accept to work with anyone without a written agreement.
At that point she was stumped and told me that she didn't like my answers. Then I told her that I don't like to waste my time. The answer: She was conducting 5 chat interviews at the same time. So I quit and said bye. It stank from the beginning, but normally when you mention contracts or documents, scanner disappears.
Here is the email she sent. I hope that this prevents this person to scam more colleagues, especially beginners.
>
> Name:
> Name of Company (Current employer):
> Position Held:
> Postal Address:
> Cell Number:
> Do you have experience as a Translator/Interpreter agent?
>
> Interview Scheduled : Mondays - Fridays
> Venue: On line Via Google Hangouts
> Time : 9:00 AM-5:00 PM CST
>
> Training is Available.
>
> Your verification code is (PRH/P2019-6544). This would serve as your identification number throughout the on-line hiring process. This is an online work from home and working hours are flexible.
>
> Your swift and timely response matters a lot as this is an immediate hire position... We look forward to having you on the team.
>
> Sincerely yours,
> Director Human Resources
> Department of the Employee Representative
> Council of Penguin Random House.
> https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com
> © 2019 Global Penguin Random House
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Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:18
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
40 minutes to run a scam – hard work! Jul 2, 2019

Elena Woontner wrote:

she made me waste 40 minutes without giving me any new information or actually interviewing me.
[snip] She was conducting 5 chat interviews at the same time.


It's becoming apparent that like the translation business, there are too many scammers and the competition is fierce to get a slice of the pie, so they have to work harder to run their scams.


Elena Woontner (X)
Lisa Grayson
 
Elise NG
Elise NG
United States
Local time: 05:18
English to Chinese
+ ...
New Scam: Penguin Random House Jul 2, 2019

I receive the same invitation email from them, It is from upwork.
They ask me for the email address, address, and other information.
Their hiring process is very fast, short hangout chatting interview and one day later, they said you are hired. So ridiculous.
When I try to ask for more information about the job, the guy seems cannot give me any detail about it.
Contact
... See more
I receive the same invitation email from them, It is from upwork.
They ask me for the email address, address, and other information.
Their hiring process is very fast, short hangout chatting interview and one day later, they said you are hired. So ridiculous.
When I try to ask for more information about the job, the guy seems cannot give me any detail about it.
Contact person name is Andrew Houffman with email [email protected].
Please stay away from them.
Also, if you are the same, please File a Report With the Internet Crime Complaint Center or FTC. ( I did it already!)


[Edited at 2019-07-03 15:46 GMT]
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chefperryp
jupaladin
 
Dareth Pray
Dareth Pray  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:18
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
Happened to me! Jul 11, 2019

This just happened to me a few moments ago. Helen Wu reached out to me to set up a Gmail chat interview for a position at Penguin Random House, but her picture on her gchat profile looks very different from the one on her LinkedIn page and her email address is a gmail address, not a company address. "She" was unable to provide any details about the position and became somewhat rude when pressed on it and then ultimately stopped responding entirely during our so-called "interview."

... See more
This just happened to me a few moments ago. Helen Wu reached out to me to set up a Gmail chat interview for a position at Penguin Random House, but her picture on her gchat profile looks very different from the one on her LinkedIn page and her email address is a gmail address, not a company address. "She" was unable to provide any details about the position and became somewhat rude when pressed on it and then ultimately stopped responding entirely during our so-called "interview."

This is what "she" said: "If granted the position,Penguin House will provide you with funds in purchasing your working materials to undergo your Five (5) days training and orientation where you would get to learn how to make use of the software materials to handle your duties.
And also,the company will provide you with a company laptop with a company logo on it,all necessary software's will be installed and shipped to your home address.You won't be using your personal laptop for official use."

I think the scam involves sending the funds out somehow. I don't know. This is very shocking, I cannot believe how sophisticated the scams have become!
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kenich1
JenniferLigas
 
kenich1
kenich1  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:18
Member (2016)
Japanese to English
+ ...
SCAM!!:PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE: TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER Jul 13, 2019

Thank you for sharing. The same thing just happened to me. Now, I have deleted her Google Hangout connection. I am glad that I found this thread and was able to confirm my suspicion - be careful.

chefperryp
 
Ana Pazos
Ana Pazos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:18
English to Spanish
+ ...
I should have come here first! Jul 23, 2019

Hi!...You know there is a saying, a very famous saying out there:
If it looks like...
If it smells like...
I will most likely be...

It was really odd to me: grammar was so poor, gmail account, hangouts interview? I even looked these people up on LinkedIn and they are there! Helen Wu and Stephanie Riordan.

I did too "interviewed" in a chat. After the first round of questions it all became really stinky to me. That is when I saw YOUR posts. I texted bac
... See more
Hi!...You know there is a saying, a very famous saying out there:
If it looks like...
If it smells like...
I will most likely be...

It was really odd to me: grammar was so poor, gmail account, hangouts interview? I even looked these people up on LinkedIn and they are there! Helen Wu and Stephanie Riordan.

I did too "interviewed" in a chat. After the first round of questions it all became really stinky to me. That is when I saw YOUR posts. I texted back: do not ever contact me again, and left the chat.

Thank you for posting about this.
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Lisa Grayson
chefperryp
 
chefperryp
chefperryp
United States
Me too! Jul 31, 2019

Yeah, they just got me too (well, almost!) Also via Upwork.

Filing my report now!

~Perry

Elise NG wrote:

I receive the same invitation email from them, It is from upwork.
They ask me for the email address, address, and other information.
Their hiring process is very fast, short hangout chatting interview and one day later, they said you are hired. So ridiculous.
When I try to ask for more information about the job, the guy seems cannot give me any detail about it.
Contact person name is Andrew Houffman with email [email protected].
Please stay away from them.
Also, if you are the same, please File a Report With the Internet Crime Complaint Center or FTC. ( I did it already!)


[Edited at 2019-07-03 15:46 GMT]


Elise NG
 
Clara Nino
Clara Nino
Canada
Local time: 05:18
Spanish to English
+ ...
Penguin Random House, with a more credible email address Aug 9, 2019

Thanks to all of you, I received an email very similar to the ones already presented here; now, scammers are using this email address:
[email protected]

At first, I missed the change in email address, as after the first contact, scammers ask you to forward your response to a Mrs. Helen Wu; I have to accept that I missed the change of email address from one containing a credible domain
... See more
Thanks to all of you, I received an email very similar to the ones already presented here; now, scammers are using this email address:
[email protected]

At first, I missed the change in email address, as after the first contact, scammers ask you to forward your response to a Mrs. Helen Wu; I have to accept that I missed the change of email address from one containing a credible domain, to a gmail address. My bad.

Please, review all and every email address before getting excited by the fantastic offer, as happened to me with this one.

I hope my almost falling for that scam helps others to be more aware and review every offer carefully.

Cheers everyone!
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JenniferLigas
JenniferLigas
United States
Local time: 05:18
French to English
Penguin Random House, with a more credible email address, contact Helen Wu Aug 12, 2019

Hey everyone, just wanted to thank you all for your posts. I too was contacted (last Friday) by a "Helen Wu" with the Penguin Random House e-mail address. I was thinking about scheduling the interview...even sent a reply. Her reply email to me came on a Sunday, which I thought was weird. I was pondering what to do, when I found these posts. So a huge thank you. I don't need to waste time on a bogus google hangouts interview! PS: There are a few glaring errors in punctuation--mostly the semi-colo... See more
Hey everyone, just wanted to thank you all for your posts. I too was contacted (last Friday) by a "Helen Wu" with the Penguin Random House e-mail address. I was thinking about scheduling the interview...even sent a reply. Her reply email to me came on a Sunday, which I thought was weird. I was pondering what to do, when I found these posts. So a huge thank you. I don't need to waste time on a bogus google hangouts interview! PS: There are a few glaring errors in punctuation--mostly the semi-colon--but much of the text is suprisingly well-written. So beware...the scammers are obviously getting better.Collapse


 
Andrew Lynch
Andrew Lynch
United States
Local time: 02:18
Italian to English
almost go me too Aug 16, 2019

Wow, I'm grateful for this thread, they almost got me, too. The initial contact came through a gmail address from person A, mentioning that rapid response was important, and to set up an interview on google hangouts with person B, and giving me a 'code' which was never asked for. Set up the interview and went through it all via the hangout, blah blah blah, and a couple hours later was informed that I'd 'passed with a score of 91%) and would be sent an employment contract by the end of the day ... See more
Wow, I'm grateful for this thread, they almost got me, too. The initial contact came through a gmail address from person A, mentioning that rapid response was important, and to set up an interview on google hangouts with person B, and giving me a 'code' which was never asked for. Set up the interview and went through it all via the hangout, blah blah blah, and a couple hours later was informed that I'd 'passed with a score of 91%) and would be sent an employment contract by the end of the day (!). I told them I'd have to do my own 'due diligence' - no response - and typed in "penguin random house hiring scam", leading me to this thread. Thankfully! Was more and more suspicious, but they suckered me along for quite a while in the end.Collapse


 
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