Strange telephone call ... Thread poster: Katie Van Keijenberg
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Dear all,
I just got contacted by the bank agency of the direct client of a translation agency I work for ...
Let me explain.
I did a sworn translation for a translation agency and they asked me to send the text directly to the end client, so I did. This was the first task (of 3 tasks in total) that I did for this agency.
After doing 3 translations, I began to worry about being paid on time, it had been 40 days since I issued my first invoice... See more Dear all,
I just got contacted by the bank agency of the direct client of a translation agency I work for ...
Let me explain.
I did a sworn translation for a translation agency and they asked me to send the text directly to the end client, so I did. This was the first task (of 3 tasks in total) that I did for this agency.
After doing 3 translations, I began to worry about being paid on time, it had been 40 days since I issued my first invoice and my terms say 30 days. The translation agency answered me that their payment term is the end of the month + 60 days and that I had to wait ...
Last week they asked me to do a 4th translation but I made up an excuses and refused the work (not before I get paid for the first 3 translations!).
Now this bank contacts me and asks me if I work for translation agency X and if I can give him the contact details. I give him the details and the man answers me that he does not pick up his phone.
What happened? His customer (the end client) made a mistake and paid the agency TWICE for the translation. She is trying to get her money back but he refuses to reply to her emails, phone calls ...
The bank asked me what my experience with the translation agency was and I did not really respond because I believe this is confidential information.
What would you have done? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:36
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Are you sure? | Nov 14, 2012 |
Are you sure that the person contacting you was, in fact, the bank? This could be scam.
[Edited at 2012-11-14 16:22 GMT]
| | | | | Who else could it be? | Nov 14, 2012 |
The translation agency testing me?
He sounded really sincere
| | | | Cetacea 
Switzerland
Local time: 11:36
English to German
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| What I would do... | Nov 14, 2012 |
Strange indeed. I guess I would politely ask him to hang up, then call the bank he supposedly works for (after looking their number up in a directory...), and find out if they have an employee by that name, if that is the way they would usually proceed in such a case (which I doubt, to be honest...), and if it all checks out, I'd ask to be put through to him and tell him that I never received any money.
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| Confidentiality duty | Nov 14, 2012 |
No matter what the situation could be and who might be in fact calling you, and despite the fact that I completely sympathise with you if this is a potential non-paying customer, I think it is any translator's duty to protect the privacy of their customers and the confidentiality of their work. It is a basic duty that goes far beyond every-day struggles with bad customers.
What would be lawyer's response to such a call? What would a bank branch manager say? What would a doctor say? ... See more No matter what the situation could be and who might be in fact calling you, and despite the fact that I completely sympathise with you if this is a potential non-paying customer, I think it is any translator's duty to protect the privacy of their customers and the confidentiality of their work. It is a basic duty that goes far beyond every-day struggles with bad customers.
What would be lawyer's response to such a call? What would a bank branch manager say? What would a doctor say? They would keep the relationship with their customer fully private no matter what, and the same should apply to our profession, if you ask me. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Strange indeed | Nov 14, 2012 |
Even though I am not a fan of conspiracy theories, I tend to expect the worst and hope for the best when it comes to dodgy events like that.
Katie Van Keijenberg wrote:
I did a sworn translation for a translation agency and they asked me to send the text directly to the end client, so I did.
Did you check that the agency was 100% legit? Or could it be the first chapter of a elaborate social engineering scam?
Now this bank contacts me and asks me if I work for translation agency X and if I can give him the contact details.
I don't really understand why the bank would get involved in a payment dispute, but a bank is perceived as a venerable institution, so it can help as a trustworthy character, appearing at the 2nd act in the play.
What happened? His customer (the end client) made a mistake and paid the agency TWICE for the translation. She is trying to get her money back but he refuses to reply to her emails, phone calls ...
This excess money excuse reminds me of the Nigerian scam. Could this be the introduction to the 3rd act aimed at involving you in the payback: you receive a fake cheque with your amount due and the "client's", and please can you write another cheque to send to the "client"?
The bank asked me what my experience with the translation agency was and I did not really respond because I believe this is confidential information.
Indeed. And you don't really know who you're talking to either...
What would you have done?
I don't do sworn translations.
Let us know how this develops.
Philippe
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 11:36
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| You did right | Nov 14, 2012 |
Katie Van Keijenberg wrote:
Now this bank contacts me and asks me if I work for translation agency X and if I can give him the contact details. I give him the details...
You can only give out third parties' contact details if those contact details are public. You can't give out a client's contact details that the client had given to you privately, unless the contact details is available somewhere in a public place also.
The bank asked me what my experience with the translation agency was and I did not really respond because I believe this is confidential information.
You did right -- this information is confidential. Tell the bank that you'll ask the client's permission to tell the bank about the client (he'll probably say "no"), but otherwise you can't divulge any information about your relationship with that client.
Only if the client becomes a non-remorseful non-payer (i.e. you have sent several reminders and even threats of legal action, with no results) can you start to divulge information, but even then you have to temper it with caution. Until such a time, your client is your client (even if he is a late-payer) and your client's information is confidential.
| | | | Steven Segaert
Estonia
Local time: 12:36
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
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| Wouldn't worry | Nov 14, 2012 |
In my opinion, you did nothing wrong. Confidential is not the same as secret, and the fact that you work with the agency and the phone number you have on file are not pieces of information that would be considered confidential.
It does all seem strange, but as long as you exercise proper caution with your own data, I wouldn't worry about it.
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| Should I warn the translation agency | Nov 15, 2012 |
that I was contacted by that bank?
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Katie Van Keijenberg wrote:
Should I warn the translation agency
that I was contacted by that bank?
I would say that telling the agency makes the whole thing messy. Your only relationship is the agency, and the bank's problems with the agency are none of your business.
Let the bank solve their problem, and make sure you have your money paid in due time by the agency.
| | | | Vladimír Hoffman
Slovakia
Local time: 11:36
Member (2009)
English to Slovak
+ ...
| In my opinion, | Nov 15, 2012 |
if the agency is non-payer (and it seems that it is, if it withold money sent by the bank), any and all legal or moral commitments of the translator to the agency get immediately void. I weould of course check if the caller was really the bank's employee, try to settle overdue payments with the agency, but I on§t thinkn we should be "fair" to cheaters. Non-paying client is simply not a client.
| | | | | How much money is at stake here? | Nov 15, 2012 |
This whole thing sounds very suspicious to me, I think Philippe may be on the right track with his analysis. But before we jump to conclusions, I think it is important to assess the probability of the classic overpayment scam - that usually involves thousands of dollars (euros). Here, they are talking about twice the amount that was originally due, so unless 3 sworn translations cost over a 1000, it is hard for me to imagine they would use it as the base for the scam.
On the other hand, i... See more This whole thing sounds very suspicious to me, I think Philippe may be on the right track with his analysis. But before we jump to conclusions, I think it is important to assess the probability of the classic overpayment scam - that usually involves thousands of dollars (euros). Here, they are talking about twice the amount that was originally due, so unless 3 sworn translations cost over a 1000, it is hard for me to imagine they would use it as the base for the scam.
On the other hand, if they are doing this often, and with many victims, small amounts do add up... Plus, if the amounts are small, they may have a better chance of getting away with it - people will not see it worth to sue them or the authorities may not be interested in investigating.
My advice would be to check whether the "bank" is in fact legit, and whether the bank employee is legit. Calling the official number of the bank and asking for the employee, as suggested in another post is the right way.
I would also call the agency and demand my money again (without mentioning the bank), and go from there.
Katalin ▲ Collapse
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Anne R
Italy
Local time: 11:36
English to French
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| what's going on between bank and end client is not your problem | Nov 15, 2012 |
If you have a PO from the agency in the first place, whether they asked you to send the translation directly to the client (since when do translation agencies give the contact detail of their clients though?..), all what you're interested in is that the agency pays you and pays you in time. Ignore the bank and the bank staff, whether real or not, and get back to your agency asking for your payment. Punto.
But of course, the whole things looks dodgy and there may be no translation a... See more If you have a PO from the agency in the first place, whether they asked you to send the translation directly to the client (since when do translation agencies give the contact detail of their clients though?..), all what you're interested in is that the agency pays you and pays you in time. Ignore the bank and the bank staff, whether real or not, and get back to your agency asking for your payment. Punto.
But of course, the whole things looks dodgy and there may be no translation agency, no end client and no bank.. [Edited at 2012-11-15 22:30 GMT]
[Edited at 2012-11-15 22:31 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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By the way, my client is not paying my invoices ...
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