Scams Targeting Broke, Desperate Freelance Writers – Beware!
Have you ever come across a job posting, or business opportunity for freelance writers when you’re hungry for work?
Ever been scammed by a client or fell for a get-paid-to-write opportunity?
It’s a painful experience that can take a toll on your creative energy, and self-confidence as a freelance writer.
Some of these might be legit opportunities for freelance writers, but many aren’t.
In fact, there’s an entire underworld of scammers out there preying on broke and desperate freelance writers.
If you’re thinking like a broke and desperate freelance writer, you’re already a target for a scam.
Some scams targeting freelance take a stealthier approach, but one thing is certain…Knowing how to spot a scam can save you a lot of trouble, time and money.
The most common scam around targeting freelance writers usually involves a fake or questionable company and sometimes an interview, preferably on Zoom, or via phone call.
Imposters promise freelance writers massive earning potential and job viability by writing:
- Resumes
- Academic papers
- Product descriptions
- Amazon reviews
- SEO-keyword-stuffed blog posts
- Niche sites filled with content you can sell
It’s tempting when you’re a newbie and a potential client offers you a contract but wants a free sample first. It’s even more tempting when you don’t have a portfolio yet, and you really want that first writing job that you’re ready to do it fee-free, at first.
The problem is that you’re dedicating time and energy into writing something that the scammer will use for free. The scammer just gets 100-plus blog posts for free to drive traffic to their site or cashes in on the work you provide. In most cases, these free samples are their whole source of content.
TIP: Any serious client looking for a sample can view your portfolio. If you don’t have one, then they should pay you a decent one-off fee for the piece. If they’re unwilling to do this, you might consider writing a pro bono piece in exchange for referrals. Otherwise, it’s not worth your time.
All in all, it’s a great time to be a freelance writer, because there’s a ton of great opportunity out there, but if you waste time falling for scams, it’s hard to earn well.
Ever fallen for a scam? Share with us what happened in the comments.
