An agency has requested my passport details
Thread poster: Sergio López
Sergio López
Sergio López
Spain
Local time: 06:38
English to Spanish
Jun 25, 2020

Hello,

I recently signed up for Proz, so please excuse me if I'm doing something wrong.

Last week, I took a translation test from a Russian company and today they said that I have passed. Then they have asked me to do two things:

- Sign up for their portal and fill in some fields, like banking information.
- Sign an NDA and provide all of my passport details: full name, passport number, nationality, sex, date of birth, date of issue, date of expiry an
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Hello,

I recently signed up for Proz, so please excuse me if I'm doing something wrong.

Last week, I took a translation test from a Russian company and today they said that I have passed. Then they have asked me to do two things:

- Sign up for their portal and fill in some fields, like banking information.
- Sign an NDA and provide all of my passport details: full name, passport number, nationality, sex, date of birth, date of issue, date of expiry and authority.

I've been looking for similar experiences on this forum and I have only found posts in which the original poster had been requested their passport number, not every single detail. I'm suspicious by nature, so that is why I wanted to ask you guys, who are way more experienced than I am, what you think about this.

Thank you!
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Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei  Identity Verified
Ghana
Local time: 05:38
Japanese to English
Don't do it Jun 25, 2020

I had a company ask for my passport detail page because of some issues with Paypal. I sent it to them because I had worked with them for many years at that point, but even then I blacked out some of the details. I wouldn't send so many details to a company I've never worked with before.

That said, Russian regulations might require such a thing. I've heard hotels are required to take copies of all tourist passports, or something bizar
... See more
I had a company ask for my passport detail page because of some issues with Paypal. I sent it to them because I had worked with them for many years at that point, but even then I blacked out some of the details. I wouldn't send so many details to a company I've never worked with before.

That said, Russian regulations might require such a thing. I've heard hotels are required to take copies of all tourist passports, or something bizarre like that.
Ref: https://realrussia.co.uk/Visas/Russian/Registration
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May Turgeon
Valery Shapovalenko
Sergio López
Philippe Etienne
Yolanda Broad
 
writeaway
writeaway  Identity Verified
French to English
+ ...
Forget it/ignore it Jun 25, 2020

There are scams galore being reported all the time in the forums. It's as though people here are seen as sitting ducks.
Just delete it and don't reply.


May Turgeon
Josephine Cassar
Valery Shapovalenko
Sergio López
Philippe Etienne
Yolanda Broad
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Valery Shapovalenko
Valery Shapovalenko  Identity Verified
Ukraine
Local time: 07:38
English to Russian
+ ...
Don't. Jun 25, 2020

Welcome to R. reality.
Don't do anything that deprives you controlling your personal data, otherwise, there could be unpleasant surprises.
And... A bit of paranoia saves one's health and life!..
Well-being, at least.


Sergio López
Philippe Etienne
Yolanda Broad
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Fatine Echenique
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 05:38
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Hotels are very different Jun 25, 2020

Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei wrote:
That said, Russian regulations might require such a thing. I've heard hotels are required to take copies of all tourist passports, or something bizarre like that.
Ref: https://realrussia.co.uk/Visas/Russian/Registration

Hotels and tourist rental accommodation here in Spain have to provide the police with that, so I don't consider it bizarre .

But I wouldn't provide a new agency with much at all to start with. The time to give your banking information is normally when you send the first invoice, which they need to pay! So I generally put TBA or "to be advised" on their form. Although any potential payment problems must be discussed before you do any work. Maybe in that case, providing banking details on receipt of the first job might be appropriate.

As far as passport details are concerned, I've never provided them and doubt I ever will. I do see the client's need to prove that they've performed due diligence when choosing a supplier, particularly one in a foreign country. That's required by international law. Here in Spain, Sergio, you can go online to the Sede Electrónica of the tax authorities and request a free tax certificate that states you're registered as a freelance translator and paying all your taxes and social contributions here. That should be far more appropriate because it attests to your life as a self-employed person rather than a private individual.


Sergio López
Philippe Etienne
Morano El-Kholy
Yolanda Broad
Philip Lees
Ann Marie Bohan
 
Sergio López
Sergio López
Spain
Local time: 06:38
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
It's settled then Jun 25, 2020

I deeply appreciate all of your answers. Fortunately for me, I'm in no desperate need of taking any risks, so I'm just going to pass.

Sheila, thank you for the information, but I think I'm just going to let it go because I didn't like the fact that they asked for so much in so little time. I felt overwhelmed, I became suspicious and, at the end of the day, I don't really know whom I'm dealing with, so I'd rather not provide them with any details.

Once again, thank you a
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I deeply appreciate all of your answers. Fortunately for me, I'm in no desperate need of taking any risks, so I'm just going to pass.

Sheila, thank you for the information, but I think I'm just going to let it go because I didn't like the fact that they asked for so much in so little time. I felt overwhelmed, I became suspicious and, at the end of the day, I don't really know whom I'm dealing with, so I'd rather not provide them with any details.

Once again, thank you all for your time
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Josephine Cassar
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Sheila Wilson
Korana Lasić
 
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei  Identity Verified
Ghana
Local time: 05:38
Japanese to English
Good decision Jun 26, 2020

Better safe than sorry. If you're not comfortable doing something, don't force yourself to do it. End of story.

[Edited at 2020-06-26 09:49 GMT]


Sheila Wilson
Fatine Echenique
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Sergio López
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:38
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
@Sergio Jun 27, 2020

I haven’t been asked for anything out of the ordinary for a long time but some years ago when confronted with situations like that I used to reciprocate and ask, for example, for a copy of the company’s incorporation. Never got one but let’s say that I felt "revenged". Trust (and distrust for that matter) should go both ways…

[Edited at 2020-06-27 15:48 GMT]


Sheila Wilson
Sergio López
 
finnword1
finnword1
United States
Local time: 01:38
English to Finnish
+ ...
It should work both ways Jun 27, 2020

Ask to to see the personal data of their employees first ...

 
philgoddard
philgoddard
United States
German to English
+ ...
Just make it up Jun 27, 2020

They're not going to check.

 
Sergio López
Sergio López
Spain
Local time: 06:38
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Jun 28, 2020

Thanks again to those who took their time to reply and help me! I appreciate it

@Philgoddard, although it might be tempting to just make it up to work around the issue because, at the end of the day, they would get the translation and I would get the money, I wouldn't accept that kind of behaviour coming from me. I want to be as professional as possible and I want everyone around me to be extremely sure that they're t
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Thanks again to those who took their time to reply and help me! I appreciate it

@Philgoddard, although it might be tempting to just make it up to work around the issue because, at the end of the day, they would get the translation and I would get the money, I wouldn't accept that kind of behaviour coming from me. I want to be as professional as possible and I want everyone around me to be extremely sure that they're treating with a reliable person. And definitely, I don't want to be the one spreading mistrust around. So, all in all, because I don't feel comfortable disclosing that much personal information, I'm passing and waiting for something else to come
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Fatine Echenique
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 


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