This is a thread for writers who have been violated via scamming.

First of all I want to give a shout-out to all those writers out there who put in their time, energy, and money to write for a meagre #1 to #2.5 per word and get scammed, insulted or bullied afterwards. E nor easy abeg. Man gatz survive 4 dis Naija.
Y'all are hard workers!!!


I think this problem is long overdue. I would say this is the 4th time this is happening to me since I started my writing career. I've been writing for approx 3 years now and I have to say, I don't encounter problems like this very often, but when I do, it hits me to my bone marrow.

so to the question...

How many of you have written for *certain nonentities who claim to be outsourcers, find new problems with a completed article, and prolong a 1.5k word article for 1 week just to frustrate you and make you let them go scott free without paying you for the same service that serious bloggers will appreciate.

Has anyone in the house encountered such challenges?
I'm guessing yes!


For some crazy reason, a lot of them are usually Muslims or maybe some related religion, based on my experience tho, I don't know about you.
I also do not know where the heck these wizards get your contact. For example, I don't post my contact wt my posts for security reasons, but these set of people manage to get it somehow.
That alone is a pointer to avoid them.

[b]Helpful tip: [/b]If you know you haven't dropped your number on any thread and still find suspicious people contacting you for writing gigs out of the blue,you might want to stay away from them.

The only long-term working relationships i had in all my writing years were with people who contacted me the right way, that is, through my Gmail.


Okay, back to my story

So I came across this outsourcer a few days back. I'm sure he's a Muslim, and I wonder where he got my contact...lol.

Told me to send some samples, said they were good.
He gave me a task which I completed and re-edited severally because he claimed the client was dissatisfied everytime.

He brought new writing instructions on the same task and claimed I wasn't following them, even though he didn't bring those instructions before commencement of the task.
I finally completed the task after following all his alleged client's instructions. Thereafter I requested payment, because it was already day 3 on a 1,400 words article.
He said to send my acct details and that was the last I heard from him.
I called him severally wt the two lines he gave me, no response.
So that's the story guys, and I'm guessing y'all know how it'll end if you've got similar experiences.
This is not the first time I'm coming across such persons, if I start to tell story ehn...matter no go finish.

One is still owing me since 2020 for the job of an ebook worth 25k. Another one 4k, that was last yr.


So....here's the conclusion

Presently, I don't write for outsourcers again. Only blog owners or those that are directly affiliated to blogs, and with proof of course.


I think we writers who have been violated in this manner should all come together and jointly agree to adopt a new writing approach.

This approach is not necessarily down-payment before the commencement of a task. I'm saying this because evil people will take advantage, claim to be writers and scam honest outsourcers and blog owners under the disguise of being violated in the past.

Personally, I don't write full-time, I have other businesses I run, plus studies, and a lot of other things. I write as a side hustle to get little cash to take care of things.
If it were a full-time business, I won't classify the Routine #2 Per Word Writing as profitable at all. And I know some persons here even write for less.
Well, that's your problem!

I plan to adopt a new approach to pin down these scammers. I call it Pay as I write

Let's be honest guys... Serious clients don't stress you when it comes to payment. I've even encountered people that pay you the full amount before you start writing, not once, not twice.

I noticed that evil people under the disguise of outsourcers and even blog owners will never be satisfied with your work so they can frustrate you. I know this because these set of wizards will not complain after you send them samples of your previously concluded tasks.

But when you write gigs that are even higher quality than those samples you initially sent them, they always find errors. This implies that they will never be satisfied with your work. They only want to frustrate you till you let them off.

I believe that if writers request for payment per every 500 Words Progress with claims that they won't continue with the task unless paid for every 500-WORD PROGRESS, these scammers will find it hard to keep up, and their true intentions will be revealed

Let me expatiate–

If it's a 1,500 word task at pay of #2 per word, instead of getting paid only after you've completed the entire work, request payment for every 500 word progress.

When it's 500 words, you show the client, he makes his observations, you adjust it to his taste, and get paid. Don't continue wt the work until you're paid for the first 500 words, that is #1k.

After payment, you proceed wt another 500 words amounting to a total of 1000 words, get paid, that's #2k, before proceeding wt the last 500 words, and then payment for task completion. Total = #3k


Write it according to the client's instructions, but let it be 500 words first. Let the client make his judgements.
Edit the article to the client's taste. If he or she is feigning unsatisfaction with your work despite your efforts, and refusing to pay for the 500 word progress, know that he won't pay you even if the task is completed.

You can easily back off at this point because it's still in the 500 word stage and you've not lost much.

On the other hand, if the client is serious and already has the money at hand, he or she won't even argue wt you and he or she will work according to your terms from the onset.

What I'm saying is that, if the client was ready to pay you and not use you, they would be cool with paying you per every 500 Word Progress, but if this client, outsourcer, or who ever he is had contrary intentions from the onset, they won't go well wt your plans.

Make sure to state this condition and set your other terms before commencing work with anyone, just to avoid stories that touch.

This approach may be stressful at first but it is especially helpful when you're working with a client for the first time and when trust hasn't been built.

Over time, you get to know who you're working with and you can loosen up a bit with your terms.


I'm just saying.... Personally, I'll adopt this approach to avoid sorry stories.
I don't mind loosing the gig if the said client or outsourcer doesn't oblige. It is better than loosing money after spending your time, energy and data that would have been invested into other productive areas.

Scammers are real in every discipline guys. They are real!!!

Peace

Thanks @pg

In fact, hats off to all you said. I totally understand and ...coming from there. I believe anyone writing or would write for these kinds of people don't know they're walking blindly on hot coals and only to suffer the regrets of writing for the so-called scammers

As for your pay as you write approach, I totally support it. I like your strategies. They're on point. I once thought about them too. Like you also said, most of them disguise themselves as writers to support their foolishness. Such foolishness is their own downfall, seeing they lack consciences of their own. As a result they may realize their folly.

I'm curious and wondering. Who was that muslim guy you wrote about? Would you imagine? I have had similar experience with someone like that very recently who sort of seems to be this muslim anon. Do you have their contact? Does thier contact ends with 907 or 385? So that we can take action and let divepen1 be the judge. Let's not sleep about this kinds of cases.

Honestly, they are a thorn in the flesh. They are many of them around. Wolves looking to pounce and prey on innocent, hard-working souls who deserve better. Please, pray you don't fall a prey. I wish it's easier to spot them. But thanks pg for giving us the red flag to help us spot them well.

I need not write much, even as you shouldn't, too but everything is from the intent to express what we feel about inconsiderate and feckless scammers here and there.

The one that did me recently, this is for him. God sees my blood and sweat and wasted time that could have been used in doing something else and the abuse of talent that God will increase even those who have faced similar experience as writers.

It is well!

thanksjosh005:
Thanks @pg

In fact, hats off to all you said. I totally understand and ...coming from there. I believe anyone writing or would write for these kinds of people don't know they're walking blindly on hot coals and only to suffer the regrets of writing for the so-called scammers

As for your pay as you write approach, I totally support it. I like your strategies. They're on point. I once thought about them too. Like you also said, most of them disguise themselves as writers to support their foolishness. Such foolishness is their own downfall, seeing they lack consciences of their own. As a result they may realize their folly.

I'm curious and wondering. Who was that muslim guy you wrote about? Would you imagine? I have had similar experience with someone like that very recently who sort of seems to be this muslim anon. Do you have their contact? Does thier contact ends with 907 or 385? So that we can take action and let divepen1 be the judge. Let's not sleep about this kinds of cases.

Honestly, they are a thorn in the flesh. They are many of them around. Wolves looking to pounce and prey on innocent, hard-working souls who deserve better. Please, pray you don't fall a prey. I wish it's easier to spot them. But thanks pg for giving us the red flag to help us spot them well.

I need not write much, even as you shouldn't, too but everything is from the intent to express what we feel about inconsiderate and feckless scammers here and there.

The one that did me recently, this is for him. God sees my blood and sweat and wasted time that could have been used in doing something else and the abuse of talent that God will increase even those who have faced similar experience as writers.

It is well!

Thanks for your response.
That is truly the reality we face most of the time.
This particular guy's contact ends with 998 and 074, and turns out he paid me after much dragging, so I've let him off the hook. But my writing approach still stands, just to avoid future problems.

But I have a list of others who boldly blocked me without payment for my service. One of them, his contact ends with 2137, he is always changing his contact. I'm guessing because of the nonsense he does.

As for the other one, I've pretty much blocked him, especially because my experience wt him happened 2 yrs ago.... wasn't able to pin down his contact for blacklisting..lol.

Thanks OP for bringing this here finally. See ehnnn, since my last 2 experience of writing and the outsourcer not paying, I have been running away from most writing gigs on Nairaland. Too many outsourcing scammers.

I like the approach of Pay as you Write. I will also use this approach. It's the best approach so far. Writer and outsourcer will be 50/50...

Any outsourcer wey no gree, is a potential SCAMMER.

Thank you OP once again.

Emitheo74:
Thanks OP for bringing this here finally. See ehnnn, since my last 2 experience of writing and the outsourcer not paying, I have been running away from most writing gigs on Nairaland. Too many outsourcing scammers.

I like the approach of Pay as you Write. I will also use this approach. It's the best approach so far. Writer and outsourcer will be 50/50...

Any outsourcer wey no gree, is a potential SCAMMER.

Thank you OP once again.

That's just the bare truth...
You're very welcome