The more work later is the one that got me early on. I figured the first assignment was my chance to prove myself and that was fair. Then, I got a real writing project and the “sample” article paid more than the never-saw-anything “future work” from the scam post. Lesson learned.

Thanks very much

This was not uncommon because we had a contract for a yearly inspection. The owner was in her office and said she thought it seemed the year had come up quickly, but neither of us thought much more about it because he had business cards in his pocket and had shown me his ID.

At the end, the guy told me that we were low on starter fluid ($187 a bottle). We definitely had none in stock. So I ordered what he suggested after going back to the boss’s office for a signature on the work order paper and telling her what he said. Again, neither of us suspected a thing.

He even called us a few days later from the copier shop number to make sure everything was running fine. Caller ID showed it was the copier shop’s number.

Two months passed and another person from the Xerox office showed up. This time we questioned him being here. Turns out the first guy was a fraud. While starter fluid did exist, it was provided free of charge and only used by technicians when they serviced machines. I’ll tell you my heart has never sank so low. Even though the manager had approved everything, I was the one that took the brunt of the blame from the owner’s husband.

Whoever he was got away with a nice chunk of change. We’d paid with a company check and police tried to track him down without any success because he’d cashed the checks at our bank using the ID he’d shown us. Turns out the ID had a real address, but he didn’t live there. The company we had the Xerox machine from thinks it may have been one of their former employees who walked off with a number of customer records and disappeared.

If a scam artist is desperate enough, they’ll do whatever it takes to get your money. I’ve reached a point in my life where I trust NO one. I tend to be suspicious of everyone in today’s world.

“If it looks like a scam, sounds like a scam, then its a scam.”

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

However, fraudsters are quite sophisticated, so they can draw in people who wouldn’t fall for simple fraud.

One other thing that happened to me was on a bid site. The person that hired me was very happy with the samples that I had and ready to work. Then when I finished it and handed it to her, she said she hated it and never paid me for it.

It can happen anywhere, so be careful and keep your eyes open. I know I am now.

Also, most web content writers are not going to invest the time in fighting back. They don’t care as much about protecting their name or honor because most are ghostwriters and don’t have any glory attached to the work.

Also, searching for your own work does not take five minutes, considering how easily it is to spin a few sentences. I’ve spent a few hours tracking down a piece of mine.

Many prefer the option of avoiding all the scams they can. If they do get scammed, they learn and move on. Vengeance, sometimes, isn’t worth the upset.

But that’s my two cents.

I know a writer who had this happen to her, with a series of rather long technical pieces, and she was genius (and my own personal hero) to Google the titles of her pieces. The “editor” who had hired her was using them as his own, on a fairly well paying site. She contacted the sites admin, showed them proof that the pieces were not his, got the pieces pulled, and that site is actually taking legal actions against him.

If a piece gets swiped from you, do a search, and find out where its being posted. Its unlikely that your piece was stolen just so they could have it in their in-box. The search will take you maybe 5 min, and at least you’ll:

1. Have protected your intellectual property.
2. Make sure that the SOB who cheated you isn’t profiting on your work.
3. Help other people to see your content burglar for what he is.

Don’t just walk away, fight back.

Grr.

FYI, Jenna Glatzer’s The Street Smart Writer: Self-Defense Against Sharks and Scams in the Writing World is now available for free download; more info at Jenna’s blog here.

And each of you can do it

As for working for a lower rate… One of my low rate jobs has turned into an almost full-time gig doing bi-monthly newsletters and press releases for a well known author/motivational speaker. Sometimes taking the jobs that others feel is too low pays off in the long run. In his case, he didn’t want to offer a high rate of pay to someone he barely knew and who lived on the opposite side of the country. I’ve now proven myself and gained a nice pay raise because of it.

James, this was one of the most salient points in your excellent submission. In fact, months ago, someone from this community suggested to incorporate language to this effect on contracts and proposals.

Thank you, and all the best.

Amen to that! You sure have a sleeve full of great phrases, James. This is very valuable advice for the newbie and it’s also a good reminder for those of us who’ve been around for a bit but find ourselves being taken for a ride by clients.

Great post!