Well, I could think of a few possibilities to establish an identity of a job poster: do not forget, this is someone actually going to ask a translator to spend a day, a week, a month on a project.
But of course. Which is why that translator needs to make sure that he/she knows who she's dealing with.
If I remember right, when I paid for Yahoo services they would first do a 'test' if my credit card existed: 1 dollar or 1 euro was taken and then returned. If my credit card exists, I exist - sad but true.
So, if a non-member requests a job posting, you could ask for a 1 (or 2 or 5 ) euro transaction - that should be no problem.
Of course not...
This may not establish I am actually a freelancer or a company, but at least it establishes the person or the company that is behind the job posting.
...does it really? Some of the fraud attempts we have seen over the (almost) four years in this function involved paid member profiles.
I do also think that information such as a VAT number would be useful - unfortunately the rules about tax numbers /VAT thresholds) are not the same in all countries. But everybody has a tax identification number or a company identification number in some way or another, at least in my part of the world.
Requiring such a number is simple - it's the verification that's the problem.
I still think that a situation in which a job poster can submit actually very little information, and then 'gain respectability' by having his name on the job board, together with a Blue Board record, could be improved on.
A BB record per se does not imply anything - any credibility comes with entries, particularly as you can contact those who posted them.
I understand that, on the other hand it is very useful to add this record, as a translator then at least has some details about the outsourcer - but what if these details are not correct?
That's why you need to run your own checks, each and every time you meet an unknown (potential) customer.
Maybe it is not feasible, maybe it would be too expensive or it would keep people from posting jobs (well, there's a thought
), maybe the entire system would become too slow - but it would encourage people to register as a member (as this would speed up the job posting process)
.
I have no objections against attracting members for ProZ.com - but that on itself will not add any protection in the context we're discussing.
At least it has made me aware of the fact that you cannot be too careful...
Indeed, that's the key issue here.
Thank you all for your replies, and it was certainly not my intention to suggest the job moderators were not doing a good job - I think you are doing a remarkable job!
Thanks, Anjo - we really appreciate that.
Best regards,
Ralf
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