Freelance Writing: How to Avoid the Scams

Searching for jobs online can be incredibly difficult at times. Not only is there a lot of competition, but when it comes to jobs that you can do in the comfort of your own home there are a great deal of scams out there. Freelance writing is no different. There are a lot of people that may request a job only to have no intention of paying for it, and there are other people that make requests but do not spell out the details of the project so you end up getting paid an extremely low amount of the amount of work that is completed.

How to Avoid Freelance Writing Scams

·         Samples Requested.

There are a lot of employers that will request written samples in order to see if you are the right fit for their project. This is a common practice and most experienced freelance writers will have a set portfolio of previous work that they can submit. When you come across a job that requests that you submit an unpaid writing sample on a specific topic you will most likely want to pass this by. When you create a piece of writing for a specific topic and submit it the employer can use that piece and upload it without any problem because it will pass Copyscape. When you take into consideration that every applicant is submitting a sample the employer is basically getting their project fulfilled for free. Only submit samples that are previously used samples, or refer the employer to an online portfolio. That way they will be able to see your writing if it is a legitimate job, but will not be able to “steal” your work.

·         Avoid Craigslist.

There are a lot of projects that are listed on Craigslist, and some of them are legitimate but many of them are not. The problem with getting freelance writing projects through Craigslist is that you have no guarantee. Many of the online freelance writing sites will require the employer to “fund” the job before you begin. This means that the employer has to send the money to the site in order to prove that they have the money to pay for the project, and the site will hold the money until the job is completed. The employer will then be required to release the money once the project is completed. You may run into an issue where a client does not release the money, but then you can contact the site to help settle the issue. You have no guarantee and no tracking method on Craigslist, so it is a use at your own risk type of venue.

 ·         High Prices for Little Work.

There are some employers that will offer a large amount of money for a job that does not require a great deal of work. They will offer to pay you in pieces as the work is submitted. Generally you will receive the first payment with no problem, but the remaining payments will be delayed until you complete the project. Once the project is completed they will complain that the quality was not up to their standards and refuse to pay for the remainder of the project. They will keep and use your writing, but the only payment you will receive is the original first small payment; sometimes if a job seems too good to be true than it probably is.

There are several legitimate places to find freelance writing work online. If you see our previous blog, Freelance Writing: Where to Find Work, you will be able to find some of the must trusted sites for finding legitimate freelance writing work. Do not get discouraged if you have been scammed in the past, there are a lot of jobs available online for freelance writers and the majority of them are legitimate projects. It is best to use the rule of thumb that if it is not from a legitimate freelance writing site you should use a great deal of caution.

How would you report your scam if you happened to experience one?

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