Pearl Linguistics Ltd. Scam
The biggest scam that is still getting money off the NHS. I have worked for Pearl Linguistics for over a year as a Freelance Interpreter, the company has not paid me once. Pearl Linguistics mainly offers their services to the NHS, but how does the biggest healthcare organisation does not know about this massive fraud.
I loved translating for the doctors and patients. I would always feel so happy after every assignment, knowing that I helped someone is the best feeling you can have after work. However, it would be different if I volunteered to help.
I applied to work for Pear Linguistics online. They called for a short telephone interview and shortly after they emailed me the contract and timesheets. I signed and scanned back the documents they needed, then they called me right away for assignments and mailed me to confirm the time, dates and patient name and hospital number.
The doctor or nurse is required to sign off the timesheet after every assignment, to confirm that the interpreter showed up and to confirm the hours of interpreting. I filled in the invoice/timesheets and scanned it to Pear Linguistics everytime I finish an assignment.
After one month of working I expected them to pay for the hours that I worked, but I did not get paid. I called Pear Linguistics and they told me that they start paying all interpreters from the 2nd month of working with Pearl Linguistics Ltd. Of course I was disappointed, but I loved the job so I accepted it. I continued to work for Pearl Linguistics and by the end of the second month I still did not get paid. I called them again and they told me to give them my bank details and they would transfer is right away. I gave them my bank account details and waited. The next day I checked, I still did not receive anything so I called them again. They told me that transfers normally takes 2 days to go through, I didn't want to argue so I patiently waited and continued with the assignments that they gave me.
One week after I called Pearl Linguistics again, they asked me to give them my account details again and they told me that the money should be in my account within 2 days the most, I waited but of course nothing came through.
I continued to go to the assignments that they gave me after 3 months even though I wasn't paid. I know that its stupid for me to still work for Pearl Linguistics after knowing that they don't pay, but knowing that someone in the hospital really needs your help is more important.
I finally stopped working for Pearl Linguistics Ltd. after 7 months of unpaid assignments. I called them numerous amount of times and I always get the same answer, "give us your bank details and we will transfer the money right away, it normally takes up to 2 working days"
But until now, a year later I still have not received a penny from Pearl Linguistics. They still keep sending me text messages and call me for work, obviously I reject them but there is nothing I can do to make them pay me.
I tried to contact the NHS to offer my translation services as a freelance, and told them Pearl Linguistics does not pay their interpreters. The NHS responded saying "we only book our interpreters through Pearl Linguistics"
I know that I am not the only interpreter working for Pear Linguistics that is having this problem. There are many interpreters out there having the same problem. You can see on Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, it's all over. All you have to do is Google (Pearl Linguistic Fraud/Scam). Someone please stop this scam.
