As remote and freelance work opportunities continue to rise in popularity, ASTA-USA Translation Services has noted a significant increase in online employment scams that utilize the long-standing reputation of our organization to lend credibility to their unscrupulous activities.
While these online employment scams are widespread across all industries, the language and translation sector is particularly susceptible to these schemes. In most instances, these bad actors post what appears to be a legitimate job listing on popular job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed. After the resume is reviewed, job seekers are advised to make further contact through untraditional means like Telegram or Instagram to conduct an online interview or skills test. The intentions behind these scams vary widely from having job seekers complete unpaid work to requesting payment for verification or certifications as part of illegal money laundering schemes or in an identity theft attempt. In either case, these attempts can wreak havoc on unsuspecting individuals.
To protect yourself from these scams, please note that ASTA-USA Translation Services will NEVER communicate with translators through Telegram or Instagram and will instead make contact through our secure and verified @ASTA-USA.com e-mail system. Due to strict confidentiality practices to protect the privacy of our clients, we will also never post jobs for individual translation projects or hire translators without diligent vetting. Our hiring process includes a number of intense screenings, including skills assessments, employment and education verification, drug screens, and background checks, among others. Likewise, we will NEVER request sensitive financial information or require translators to pay for verifications or certifications as part of the hiring process. We advise all remote and freelance job seekers to exercise immense caution when applying for work with all organizations and trust their instincts if they are requested to provide financial information, complete unpaid work, or are otherwise asked to perform activities that are not typically associated with hiring processes.
Read the full press release and learn how to protect yourself when applying for remote translation roles: ASTA-USA Translation Services, Inc. Warns of Online Employment Scams | Markets Insider (businessinsider.com)