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Translation Awards? There's something phishy...
Thread poster: Matthijs Frankena
Matthijs Frankena
Matthijs Frankena  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 10:33
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Jul 28, 2017

Found the below message in my mailservers spam quarantine. No idea what the idea behind it is (huh...), but maybe others can expound on it.

If it wasn't for the unbearable stench of rotting phish, I would almost fall for it.

Hi Matthijs, I hope youre well.

Im delighted to get in touch with you today with regards to Worldwide Business Reviews, 2017 Leaders in Translation Awards, and to advise that you have been selected as this years sole winner... See more
Found the below message in my mailservers spam quarantine. No idea what the idea behind it is (huh...), but maybe others can expound on it.

If it wasn't for the unbearable stench of rotting phish, I would almost fall for it.

Hi Matthijs, I hope youre well.

Im delighted to get in touch with you today with regards to Worldwide Business Reviews, 2017 Leaders in Translation Awards, and to advise that you have been selected as this years sole winner from The Netherlands.

Many businesses and organisations already regularly use a language other than their native one, however with global commerce on the rise, the need for legal translations of multilingual contracts, forms, tenders and myriad other vitally important documents is increasing dramatically.

Our awards aim to showcase the most trusted and reliable translators from across the globe. We would like you to join our exclusive editorial panel to discuss your individual expertise and experience with our readers. We want to highlight why contract translators are so important in todays ever-expanding corporate environment and to discover exactly how the right translator can become a vital part of our readers business armoury in 2017.

As we are not a pay to play scheme, we are delighted to offer you a personalised winners certificate and the full copyright to the award title, entirely free of charge.

However, if you would like to capitalise on your award win, Worldwide Business Review can provide you with the perfect platform from which to build on your award win, giving you access to more than 60,000 business professionals around the world.

If this is of interest, please see below for more details about the promotional solutions available.

Option #1 The Editors Choice Package 2,495 GBP (1,995 GBP Pay Now Price)

Full front cover main image and headline
A front-end double-page inclusion in the magazine (up to approx. 1,800 words)
Inclusion of your article on our website
2 personalised crystal trophies
A logo for use in your own marketing
Full rights to the PDFs to use as you wish
Option #2 The Premium Package 745 GBP (595 GBP Pay Now Price)

A front-end double-page inclusion in the magazine (up to approx. 1,800 words)
Front cover sub-headline and supporting image
Inclusion of your article on our website
1 personalised crystal trophy
A logo for use in your own marketing
Full rights to the PDFs to use as you wish
Option #3 The Essential Package 365 GBP (295 GBP Pay Now Price)

Single page profile in the publication
Inclusion of your article on our website
(P&P is exclusive on packages with a trophy. VAT will be charged for UK and EC sales unless in receipt of a valid EC VAT number)

* Pay now price; pay within 48 hours of receipt of the invoice and get a 20% discount on our usual prices.

We have an entirely in-house editorial and design team who will assist you in putting together all items associated with your package. Trophies and logos are available to order individually on request also.

If you would like to go ahead with one of the stated packages, simply reply to confirm the package and cost, i.e. Agreed Premium Package 745. Or, if you wish to proceed with the pay now option (payable within 48 hours), please do reply with the lower cost.

To go ahead with the free certificate only please respond confirming this.

If you have any questions regarding the award, the magazine or packages please dont hesitate to get in touch and I will be more than happy to help.

I look forward to receiving your response Matthijs.

Have a great day.

Kind regards,

Serena Dowley Awards Executive
Worldwide Business Review
T: +44 (0) 203 725 6844

A: Floor 1, Suite F, The Maltsters, 1-2 Wetmore Rd, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1LS

Please note all sales are bound by t & cs available via the website. VAT charged for UK sales. VAT charged for EC sales unless we are in receipt of a valid EC VAT number
This message is private. If you have received it in error, please notify us and remove it from your system.

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Ramey Rieger (X)
Ramey Rieger (X)  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 10:33
German to English
Trash it! Jul 28, 2017

I would say, based on this excerpt:


As we are not a pay to play scheme, we are delighted to offer you a personalised winners certificate and the full copyright to the award title, entirely free of charge.

However, if you would like to capitalise on your award win, Worldwide Business Review can provide you with the perfect platform from which to build on your award win, giving you access to more than 60,000 business professionals around the world.


 
Matthijs Frankena
Matthijs Frankena  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 10:33
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Of course Jul 28, 2017

I'm not one to keep rotten fish in the fridge.

I must say I'm impressed that my email provider's spam detecting feature netted this one. I'm not going to disturb the detection engine's learning curve by releasing this one. Or the reminder that arrived two days later. They have a nerve, sending that.


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:33
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Congratulations, Matthijs!!! Jul 28, 2017

Let me break out my concoction of rancid whale blubber and stagnant pond water, while you grab a hammer and nail that certificate to your wall of fame.

Cheers and Proost!


 
Katarzyna Slowikova
Katarzyna Slowikova  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 10:33
English to Czech
+ ...
Hilarious! Jul 28, 2017

This is a nice refreshment among all those moth-eaten relocation and overpayment scams that are the daily routine on this forum.
I had a good laugh, especially at those "personalised crystal trophies". Who wouldn't want a trophy or two, for just 2,495 GBP? You're a real winner, Matthijs!

Thanks a lot for posting this, I'be been on this forum for couple of years and have read lots of older threads too, but this
... See more
This is a nice refreshment among all those moth-eaten relocation and overpayment scams that are the daily routine on this forum.
I had a good laugh, especially at those "personalised crystal trophies". Who wouldn't want a trophy or two, for just 2,495 GBP? You're a real winner, Matthijs!

Thanks a lot for posting this, I'be been on this forum for couple of years and have read lots of older threads too, but this one is by far the most hilarious scam!

[Edited at 2017-07-28 16:49 GMT]
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:33
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Thanks, Matthijs and... congratulations!? Jul 29, 2017

What I find most amusing is the fact that the message says:

"As we are not a pay to play scheme"

followed by all the paying options!


 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 10:33
Italian to English
Phishy Jul 29, 2017

Looks like you had a whale of a time with that one!! (I'm Kraken up just thinking about it).

[Edited at 2017-07-29 14:32 GMT]


 
Oliver Walter
Oliver Walter  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:33
German to English
+ ...
... and that phone number Jul 29, 2017

Towards the end of that email, it said:
Worldwide Business Review
T: +44 (0) 203 725 6844

A: Floor 1, Suite F, The Maltsters, 1-2 Wetmore Rd, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1LS

First: whenever I see a UK phone number stated in the format:
0203 xxx xxxx (or (0)203 xxx xxxx)
I see this as a form of deliberate ignorance and/or incompetence.
The correct way to state such a phone number is
020 3xxx xxxx (or (0)20 3xxx xxxx)
bec
... See more
Towards the end of that email, it said:
Worldwide Business Review
T: +44 (0) 203 725 6844

A: Floor 1, Suite F, The Maltsters, 1-2 Wetmore Rd, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1LS

First: whenever I see a UK phone number stated in the format:
0203 xxx xxxx (or (0)203 xxx xxxx)
I see this as a form of deliberate ignorance and/or incompetence.
The correct way to state such a phone number is
020 3xxx xxxx (or (0)20 3xxx xxxx)
because, in the UK, the area code for the Greater London area is 020 (starting in April 2000), and all local (landline) numbers within that area are 8-digit numbers. That means in practice that a phone call from a landline within the 020 area to another landline within the 020 area can be made by dialling (i.e., nowadays, keying) the 8-digit local number. At present, every such number has 3, 7 or 8 as the first of the 8 digits. You can read more about it in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Number_Change

Also, I wonder why a London phone number was quoted for an address in Burton on Trent (about 150 km from London). I now see that there is indeed something called "Worldwide Business Review" with that address and a similar (not identical) phone number. WBR's web page makes the same declaration of ignorance in giving its phone number (http://www.worldwidebusinessreview.com/), but for me that does not prevent it from being a declaration of deliberate ignorance.

(The phishyness (phishiness?) was, I suppose, clear because it offered an award that you had never heard of, and was, in effect, asking for money.)
The Worldwide Business Review website says (in http://www.worldwidebusinessreview.com/about-us ):
Free to subscribe to, the publication offers a dedicated newsletter, an ever evolving website and a series of awards ...
The awards page:
http://www.worldwidebusinessreview.com/awards
doesn't mention anything for translators.

Perhaps, Mathijs, it would have been worth checking whether the "From:" and "Reply-To:" addresses seem to be plausible (You may need to look at the email header to see the "Reply-To:" address or, just click on "Reply:" to see it, and then cancel instead of writing a reply.
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Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 10:33
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Kudos Matthijs Jul 29, 2017

You are one of a million winners in The Netherlands - aside from those however many worldwide! Along with that comes the sender's expectation that you volunteer freely handing your hard-earned money over to them... and even feel honored and proud.

This reminds me of what poetry.com sends out. They nominate you as a winner, then you pay to go to the award ceremony (I never did) and... you shall discover that you are only one of several hundreds, and not just one "winner". Who cares a
... See more
You are one of a million winners in The Netherlands - aside from those however many worldwide! Along with that comes the sender's expectation that you volunteer freely handing your hard-earned money over to them... and even feel honored and proud.

This reminds me of what poetry.com sends out. They nominate you as a winner, then you pay to go to the award ceremony (I never did) and... you shall discover that you are only one of several hundreds, and not just one "winner". Who cares about the let-down? All that matters is that they've made lots of money of those "blessed are the believers".

Surely, you won't give them your money. After all, each one of your customer proves on a daily (or weekly) basis that you are, in fact, a winner.

[Edited at 2017-07-29 17:24 GMT]
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Ricki Farn
Ricki Farn
Germany
Local time: 10:33
English to German
Now I want a translation award Jul 29, 2017

I'll have to check if the guy next door ever got his 3D printer to work ...

I deserve it! Maybe a translation Oscar (of the Grouch variety)?


 
Matthijs Frankena
Matthijs Frankena  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 10:33
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Tenacity is key? Aug 10, 2017

Unfortunately the spam detecting functionality of my email server has been defeated and I now find the below follow-up in my inbox. I can only hope they stick to their August 14 deadline and I will never hear from them again after that date.

Hi Matthijs, I hope you’re well.

Would your company like to move forward with our '2017 Leaders in Translation Awards', as per my previous correspondence?

As a reminder, your company have been named as the... See more
Unfortunately the spam detecting functionality of my email server has been defeated and I now find the below follow-up in my inbox. I can only hope they stick to their August 14 deadline and I will never hear from them again after that date.

Hi Matthijs, I hope you’re well.

Would your company like to move forward with our '2017 Leaders in Translation Awards', as per my previous correspondence?

As a reminder, your company have been named as the exclusive winner from The Netherlands.

As our deadline is 14th August, there is now only one marketing package available, please see below for details:

Option #3 ‘The Essential Package’ – £295 GBP (£250 GBP – ‘Pay Now Price’)

Single page profile in the publication
Inclusion of your article on our website

(P&P is exclusive on packages with a trophy. VAT will be charged for UK and EC sales unless in receipt of a valid EC VAT number)

* Pay now price; pay within 48 hours of receipt of the invoice and get a 20% discount on our usual prices.

If you would like to go ahead with one of the stated packages, simply reply to confirm the package and cost, i.e. 'Agreed Essential Package £295'. Or, if you wish to proceed with the ‘pay now’ option (payable within 48 hours), please do reply with the lower cost.

If you have any questions regarding the award, the magazine or packages please don’t hesitate to get in touch and I will be more than happy to help.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Serena Dowley – Awards Executive
Worldwide Business Review
T: +44 (0) 203 725 6844

A: Floor 1, Suite F, The Maltsters, 1-2 Wetmore Rd, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1LS

Please note all sales are bound by t & c’s available via the website. VAT charged for UK sales. VAT charged for EC sales unless we are in receipt of a valid EC VAT number
This message is private. If you have received it in error, please notify us and remove it from your system.

Our emails are well-intentioned and targeted, if you prefer not to be included please let us know via the official channel and we will not email you again: OPT OUT

Opt-Out/Unsubscribe request may take 2 working days to complete. During this time, you may still receive occasional emails until the Opt-Out/Unsubscribe process is complete
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Mirko Mainardi
Mirko Mainardi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 10:33
Member
English to Italian
Different address? Aug 10, 2017

Matthijs Frankena wrote:

Unfortunately the spam detecting functionality of my email server has been defeated


Just out of curiosity: did they use a different address this time? Otherwise it's just a matter of blocking them... (if you don't want to "risk" using the unsubscribe option they mention)


 
Matthijs Frankena
Matthijs Frankena  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 10:33
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
More info on "Worldwide Business Review" Aug 10, 2017

A site with the fantastic title "Fightback Ninja Blog" - a site I won't visit too often, as I would waste hours going through the various accounts of how people are trying to scam others. Addictive!

https://fightback.ninja/worldwide-business-review-awards/


 
Matthijs Frankena
Matthijs Frankena  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 10:33
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
No, same address… Aug 10, 2017

unfortunately.

I've now blacklisted the domain wwb-review.com, so I hope I won't be bothered again.


 
Sue Stewart-Anderson (X)
Sue Stewart-Anderson (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:33
Dutch to English
+ ...
thought this sounded familiar... Aug 10, 2017

Here is one I received in November, some of my colleagues did too, looks like it comes from the same source. Binned it. Though I'd love to see a pic of the trophy if anyone has one.


My name is Mia Broadbent and I am contacting you on behalf of Wealth & Finance International to inform you that you have been recognised as a winner in the ‘2016 Contract Translation’ awards.

Mrs Susan Anderson - Contract Translator of the Year 2016

Here at Wealth &
... See more
Here is one I received in November, some of my colleagues did too, looks like it comes from the same source. Binned it. Though I'd love to see a pic of the trophy if anyone has one.


My name is Mia Broadbent and I am contacting you on behalf of Wealth & Finance International to inform you that you have been recognised as a winner in the ‘2016 Contract Translation’ awards.

Mrs Susan Anderson - Contract Translator of the Year 2016

Here at Wealth & Finance International we understand that contract translation is a highly specialised area which requires only the upmost professionalism and skill. Contract translation plays an essential role in the modern day business process and is of particular importance when it comes to the details that matter. In order to be successful within this sector, you have particular set of skills; precise in terminology, clear in presentation and particular in attention to detail. This is why you, Susan have been selected as a winner.

Wealth and Finance International gives you, as a winner, the perfect platform to showcase your award, giving you access to more than 130,000 investment and finance professionals around the world. We want to offer you the chance to drive the editorial content of the publication and use it as a global forum to increase your profile, gain coverage and help you to win more business.

Listed below are the promotional solutions on offer. If you would like to see an example of what a particular option will look like do let me know, if you don’t see anything below that fits needs or budget, give me a call or drop me an email; I’ll work with you to create a more bespoke solution to suit your requirements.

Option #1: Platinum Package
Cost £3,500

v Main front cover image and headline

v 5 Personalised crystal trophies*

v 4-page spread in our magazine (approx. 3,600 words)

v Contract Translator of the Year winners’ logo for use in your own marketing

v Press release celebrating your win, circulated to our 130,000 subscribers

v High resolution PDFs for you to use in your own marketing

v Inclusion in our Expert Directory

v Simple listing in magazine

v Awards certificate


Option #2: Gold Package
Cost £1,200

v A front cover headline & image

v A front-end double page spread in the magazine (up to approx. 1,800 words)

v Inclusion of your article on our website

v A crystal trophy*

v Contract Translator of the Year winners’ logo for use in your own marketing

v Full rights to the PDFs for you to use as you wish

v Simple listing in magazine

v Awards certificate


Option #3: Silver Package
Cost £795

v A front-end full page inclusion in the magazine (up to approx. 900 words)

v Inclusion of your article on our website

v A crystal trophy*

v Full rights to the PDFs for you to use as you wish

v Contract Translator of the Year winners’ logo for use in your own marketing

v Simple listing in magazine

v Awards certificate



Option #4: Bronze Package
Cost £400

v Contract Translator of the Year winners’ logo for use in your own marketing

v A crystal trophy*

v Inclusion in our Expert Directory

v Simple listing in magazine

v Awards certificate



Option# 5: Complimentary Coverage
Available to all of our winners, only when you reply with ‘agreed complimentary package’

v Simple listing in the magazine

v Awards certificate



All prices are exclusive of VAT and p&p is in addition.

Additional trophies are also available to purchase at a cost of £250. Digital logos can be purchased separately at a cost of £150.

To move forward with one of the options detailed above please reply detailing your chosen package and associated cost i.e. ‘agreed option #3 £995’.

Congratulations once again, I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards

Mia Broadbent– Media Sales Executive
Wealth & Finance International
W: www.wealthandfinance-intl.com
T: +44 (0) 203 725 6844
A: Floor 1, Suite F, The Maltsters, 1-2 Wetmore Rd, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1LS
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Translation Awards? There's something phishy...







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