Is this a Transcription Job Scam?

My girlfriend is applying for a job as a transcriptionist for a company called Globosonic. I have done a Google search but nothing came up about it being a scam even when I used the keywords "Globosonic transcription scam". I am not very tech savvy, but still, something doesn't seem right about it. They have not asked for any money from us but they did ask her to download a program for their training course. I could use someone else's input on this.

Here is their website.

http://www.globosonic.net/

My girlfriend has been exchanging emails with a person named Michael Adam. This is their email exchange that she forwarded to me. I have erased her info.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Adam <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 1:47 AM
Subject: Re: Transcription Position
To: <redacted>


Hi : <redacted>

Thanks again for your interest in Globosonic. First of all, you will need to
download our transcription tool, Express Scribe. if you don't have it
already. It is an excellent program that works with any word processing
program. We recommend you use Word because our template document that you
will transcribe in is in Word format. After you have downloaded the program,
I would like you to watch some videos to help you learn the software and
about transcription in general. After you have completed that, there are
three files in the Audio folder at the site I will give you here. Please
transcribe only the first 10 minutes of each interview..Do not transcribe
all, though -- just the first 10 minutes of each.

To access the software, the videos, and the audio, please login here:

URL: http://globosonic.serveftp.com:8080
User: <redacted>
Password: <redacted>
You do need Flash on your computer to access this site. The videos are in
three different formats: .mov, mpeg, and .avi. Please let me know if you
have any problems.

Go to the Software folder first, then the Video folder, and lastly the Audio
folder. Typically, we would request that one-hour of audio is returned in
transcript form within 24 hours. But Tuesday is fine to return these three
short transcripts for this evaluation. Please give each document the same
file name as the audio file. If you have any questions or problems, please
do not hesitate to write me.

Many thanks and good luck!

Michael


On 2011-01-27, at 11:30 PM, <redacted> wrote:

Hello,

Yes I am still interested in the position.

Thank you,
<redacted>
email: <redacted>
phone: <redacted>





On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 1:24 AM, Michael Adam
<[email protected]>wrote:

> Hi <redacted>:
>
> Thank you so much for your interest in transcribing market research
> interviews. Before I send you information about our evaluation procedure, I
> just want to be sure you understand the pay rate. The rate is a flat rate of
> $20 US for every hour of English audio you transcribe. That means, if I send
> you a 60-minute interview or focus group, you will be paid a flat rate of
> $20, whether that takes you 2 hours or 6 hours to complete. I cannot tell
> you how long it takes to complete one hour. People who have never done it
> before could take 6 hours in the beginning before they get the hang of it.
> The audio quality may vary at times. Sometimes it's excellent and sometimes
> it is poor. Our clients pay us the same rate for that, and we pay our
> transcribers the same rate as well. That just means the client may get a
> transcript that is not as accurate as they would when the quality is
> excellent. You work from wherever you have a computer and a high-speed
> Internet connection. We don't deduct any taxes or report your income, so
> what you earn is exactly what we will send you every month. We pay promptly
> once a month via PayPay, Western Union, or equivalent.
>
> Recently, we transcribed focus groups and in-depth interviews for clients
> like Visa, Asics running shoes, Roche Pharma Group, and MillerCoors. We do
> get medical topic transcriptions a fair bit. In general, you could probably
> get a file every day if you like. If you are interested in proceeding
> still, I will send you information on training and testing.
>
> I will pay you for this short training if you pass and complete assignments
> for us. If you do not pass, I hope you understand that it is part of the
> evaluation process.
>
> Best regards,
> Michael
>
> On 2011-01-21, at 11:26 PM, <redacted> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I am interested in the transcription position. I have attached my resume to
> this email. I am interested in this position because I have several years of
> writing and data entry experience, and I am very detail-oriented. I enjoy
> this kind of work.
>
> Thank you,
> <redacted>
> email: <redacted>
> phone: <redacted>
> <AMResume.doc>
>
>
> ---
> Michael Adam
> Principal
> Globosonic DFH
> [email protected]
>
>
>
>

---
Michael Adam
Principal
Globosonic DFH
[email protected]

99.9% of these online work at home jobs are nothing more than scams and usually it's money you have to pay them first, but I can't say what the angle is here. The smarter ones keep you dangling and following tasks at the set up to make sure you're well invested in the idea first. The idea being that the more work they get you to do, the more likely you'll agree to anything, to finally get started.

This company has no web presence apart from it's own ads posted on free sites, so the bragging seems overblown and their ads are spread so worldwide and cover so may different languages, their claims don't make sense. The only address I've managed to trace is one attached to an ad that claims it is located in an apartment block in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada which looks residential.

Follow it through by all means, but don't get your hopes up, and if they ask for money drop them like a stone.

I have no idea what transcribing market research means. Market research companies handle specific information or convert it into specifics, which they have to do before they can make conclusions for which they're paid. If they have a lot of unformed waffle, then I'm sure they'd refine ther methods rather than convert it into typing, which would only require further preparation after being returned to them. It sounds like a process we performed a hundred years ago and not something of the modern age.

(The idea of them handing out market research videos is interesting. A signed release would be required from all participants for any material they are handing out to third parties in this way.)

Hello,

I just recieved a job offer from this same comapany. Did your girlfriend go through with the job? Is this job legit? I too am afraid it is a scam. Please get back to me asap.

Thank you

Welcome to ScamWarners ddburks. This thread is nearly a year old, so I don't think the original poster is following it at this point. Your best course of action is to follow the advice given by GomerPyle.

Do not pay any money to anyone who offers you a job. That is a sure sign of a scam.