Freelance Scam or the Real Deal?

One more time, it was an email that was close, but still nowhere near legitimate.

It was a scam, upon closer inspection. And believe me, closer inspection wasn’t all that necessary. Upon first glance, it was obvious. Make that about six emails this month that were scams.  So I figured it was time you and I had some fun. How good are we at spotting real from fake emails?

But why are these people trying to scam freelancers? The answer is rather easy: Do you have a bank account of any sort? Right there is your reason.

Here’s how they work:

They reach out. They have a project and need a writer. You answer. They say on follow-up that they have a big budget. All they need is your bank numbers to complete the transfer of cash — cash they’re paying you up front. You send them your account and routing numbers.

That’s when they drain your account and disappear.

[bctt tweet=”Oh yes, scammers target you too, #freelancer” username=”LoriWidmer”]

But can we really tell the good guys from the bad guys? Let’s try. Here are a few examples. Tell me which one is legit and which one isn’t. And why you came to that conclusion:

Example #1:

Jim Dill (james.dill@mpg.com)

Good afternoon, hope you’re well since last we spoke.

Question, I need to find a PR firm so that if I want to get articles out there for our group business, or Iwant to be able to announce that in all trade pubs.

Can you assist here?

Regards,

Jim Dill, manager of Special Programs

MPG Consulting

Example #2:

Antonio Michael (brwdev@gmail.com)

Hello,

I am Antonio Michael, an academic consultant., I have a speech distorting condition called Apraxia. I got your contact details online and I need your service. Can you write an article on a specific topic for an upcoming workshop? The article is to be given as a handbook to the attendees of the workshop. I have a title for the article and have drafted an outline to guide you. Please get back to me for more
information.
Anthonio

Antonio Michael, Consultant

So there you have it. Two examples. One is legit. How do you tell? Let’s look at some things that may help you decide:

Email address

It’s possible to have a Gmail address as your business address — people do. I have a Verizon one only because my host account was ridiculously hard to reroute to my normal in box. And it’s already there and known, so changing it would be a nightmare. But let’s look at these two emails. First, we have this one: james.dill@mpg.com

While I’ve made up these email addresses, there’s one way to tell if it’s legit — look it up. But let’s continue:

This email contains the name of the company. That’s an indicator that this could be legit. Or not. The next thing you might want to do (you really do) is to search the mpg.com URL to see.

Okay, now this email: brwdev@gmail.com. Is this legit? Could be, but I’m seeing a bit of a disconnect between the name and the letters used in the email address. While it could be that Antonio runs a BRW Development or some such site, there’s nothing in his signature to suggest it. Red flag #1.

The greeting

Both of these emails lose points on greeting. Usually, it’s “Hi, Lori” or “Lori” which is a little terse, but still okay. But neither Jim nor Antonio have shown that they know me beyond my email address.

The first line

Jim’s “hope you are well since we last spoke” suggest familiarity. So this is a point in his favor. Antonio’s first line introduces himself. Also not a bad move.

The ask

Jim gets right to the point. He needs a PR firm. He tells you why in that sentence. Antonio takes a little longer to get to his ask, but he’s looking for an article/handbook for an upcoming workshop. Both have done well with this.

The signoff

Jim didn’t sign his name, but used his signature as the signoff. Antonio signed it, but Antonio also tipped his hand in a big way.

Both men have added some type of signature. Jim’s is pretty thorough. Antonio’s is not, nor is there a company name.

The phony? Antonio, of course. Or should I call him “Anthonio”?

Jim is a legitimate business person whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

So how do you spot a scammer like Antonio?

• The email address seems odd
• The greeting is impersonal (though as I pointed out, that’s not always a sign of a scammer)
• Spelling — if you misspell your own name, you’re most likely not who you say you are

Bonus clue: The emotional ploy. Notice how Antonio brought up his disability? While that’s not necessarily a sign of a fraud, it’s a common tactic used by scammers to get you to respond. Also, Antonio will never want to talk with you on the phone (because you might figure he’s a scammer much faster), so he’s eliminating that possibility by mentioning that he has a speech issue.

Another way to tell if someone is legit — look them up. Look up the company they say they’re with, and look them up by name. If a website exists, click into it and make sure it’s not just a dummy home page. If there’s a LinkedIn profile or a Twitter account, you should be able to tell how long the account has been active. If not, look at the activity — are they sharing and commenting? Have they had recommendations? How many connections do they have?

Know that scammers are out there targeting you, freelancer. Taking a closer look at that email can help you avoid either wasted time or worse.

Writers, what other warning signs do you see in some of the emails you get?