Writers Beware!!

Lately I've been responding to ads on craigslist.com for writing positions. Some of these positions are for article writing, blogs, and reviews for products. One thing I've learned very quickly is that most of these ads are scams. In a short time I feel I've become somewhat of an expert on this issue. It has been a frustrating search to find a legitimate company to write for. I'd say for every fifty ads out there, maybe one is genuine. Below I've listed some of the ways these scammers try to pull you in so they can take more of your hard-earned money or your personal information.

1. You respond to an ad that looks and sounds great. You receive an email back saying all the positions have been filled, but if you really want a writing job, check out this link. This is what I call the "Bait and Switch". Here is a sample of an ad I responded to and the subsequent email I received once I inquired about the position:

"we need some experienced writers to pen some articles, blogs, stories , and novels each week . this is a stay at home job so no commuting needed. stories can be fiction or non fiction . we pay up to $125.00 per story . depending on experience the average hourly rate is between $25-$45 per hour . ********@gmail.com"

That was the ad, here is their response to my email inquiry:

"Hi there,

We filled all the positions shortly after posting the ad. If you are a well qualified writer and would like to make either extra money or even start a writing business then here is a link that might be able to help. Please do not share the link with anyone as I've lost a few writers to this website but since I have no more positions available it's the least I can do.

Good Luck!"

Included in this email was a link to a website. This website claims that if you pay $39.99 a month (or a similar fee) you will have companies clamoring at your feet to work for them. DON'T FALL FOR THIS!

This is the bait and switch. They post an ad for writers wanted and everything sounds above board. Shortly after responding to their ad they will inform you that all the positions have been filled and direct you to a sight where YOU have to pay THEM for leads.

2. This example of a scam requires that you purchase a "kit" at a very nominal fee to get started. Below is an ad I responded to on craigslist and the subsequent email:

"We are seeking for article writer who is self motivated and can do the task on given time, no real previous experience needed in this field only good
writing skills is a must! This is part time job of about ~5hours/day with salary of 3k/month.
If interested send in your resume via email and a phone number where you can be reached at."

First of all, the terrible grammar should have been a dead give away, but I did respond and received a lengthy email response once I inquired about this position which says:

"Hello,

I received your application and would like to speak with you further regarding this position. While I don’t think you have the exact internet marketing experience that we usually require, you have a good set of skills that we think would be beneficial. Because of this, I have decided to go ahead and approve your application.

Just to give you a brief overview of this position, we are a marketing company that uses Google’s advertising platform. So, your job will be to post links on Google’s site. No one needs to buy anything from you, our company, or Google. You’re not selling anything. You just post the website links we provide and get paid based on how many you do.

We provide you with access to the links and directions on how to post them properly (don’t worry, this is all explained in much greater detail in our training materials). Checks are mailed bi-weekly, with direct deposit available for those earning more than $1,000 per week.

As part of the protocols of our growing company, we have deployed measures to limit our liabilities in training new employees. As such, there is a small fee ($2.29) to cover the cost of manufacturing the work materials and shipping them to you. This kit allows us to keep track of how much time you spend working weekly. We do have a minimum commitment of 20 hrs a week from home.

If this position sounds like something you’d be interested in, you can request your training materials at our website:

(this is where the link was posted)

Please let me know once you’ve received the training packet so we can setup a conference call. I’d like to walk you through our program step-by-step and answer any questions you may have. Once again, we’re only looking for 10 new employees to help us scale our business. If you’re reading this, you were chosen by our hiring staff. If we do not hear from you, we will have to move down the list of qualified individuals.

I hope you have a great day, and I look forward to working with you."

(Here is where the contact information was listed).

This is a ruse to get you to give them your personal information so that they can bill you the small fee and then continue to bill you as much as $70-$80 a month after that for whatever they deem you are required to pay for. The small fee seems insignificant, just pocket change, but believe me, you'll be paying much more than pocket change over the next several months while you fight to get your money back.

With this particular ad, I did not respond to the first email and very shortly thereafter received ANOTHER email with the familiar "All the positions have been filled" theme. All this happened in the course of a couple of hours. They sure can fill those positions quickly! The second email used the "bait and switch" method by informing me the positions were all filled but here's something you might be interested in. They tried to hit me both ways.

3. If the ad contains several grammatical errors, disregard it! Some of the ads I've read or the responding emails I've received contained so many grammatical errors it just made me cringe. If this is a truly genuine and successful company who is looking for great writers, they are going to correspond in a professional manner and with perfect grammar. They would expect no less of the writers they are looking for.

4. This one is quite unusual and I could kick myself for falling for this one. I responded to an ad for article writers, an at-home position. The email they sent me said they were reviewing my application and in the meantime they wanted to evaluate my typing skills and speed. A link was provided where I could download a typing test which would help them evaluate whether I was qualified for the job. I thought why would that matter if I'm writing articles from home? I threw caution to the wind and downloaded the program. Thankfully, my Norton spyware stopped some kind of attack on my computer as I tried to download the program. The lesson here is: Do NOT download anything to your computer as a requirement for a job. This is just a ploy to steal your personal information. No reputable company is going to expect you to download an unfamiliar program to your computer. Don't fall for it as I did.

If you're a writer looking online for a great position please be very wary of every ad you read and respond to. There are many unscrupulous types out there just waiting for an opportunity to take your money and/or personal information and run. I'm still looking, still answering ads as I believe eventually I'll find an established, genuine company who is looking for someone like me to work for them. If you happen to be a part of such a company and are reading this post, PLEASE contact me! I'm still looking! I will, however, be checking YOU out, too!