Students -How to Know You are not getting Scammed by a Writer #1

Hello Students, Let's create a quick checklist to help you get your money's worth.

I'll tell you as a heads up, that not all names built over time are credible. At times it is easy to fall foul on account of a brand that has several good reviews, but there is more to that. Let's start with, what writer you are getting assigned to. So you signed up with a good brand, but what about the specific writer? You need to request for some written samples. But it is easy to get fooled by that too. So how about navigating that?

Request for a draft of the work before the writer goes far too in. After that has been sent your way, meaningful conversation and trust can begin to form. Now, I am a freelance writer myself, and I know how hard it is working without assurance of getting pay. And so we are often going to tell you to pay upfront (a deposit at least). So now, assuming you have the draft with you, it is easier to make an informed decision.

Second, say it is not a company you are working with and it is a freelancer like myself? Well, the first point still applies. But what else can help you sniff out a foul? Their rates! Low rates scream "KEEP OFF!". I like to think that the "cheap is expensive" clause is as applicable and relevant in the research profession as it is any other. So if you are comfortable going with the pennies, then you might as well hold your mouth when it comes to reaping the penny-effect.

On the other hand, extremely high rates could mean the writer has no clue about the industry and so they are likely a novice. At this point, as a client, you need to do your homework and ensure that you know what companies are charging per page and from that, price your freelancer some dollars lower. How about that for today? More tips coming your way in future threads.

For a much sooner discussion on this, you can reach me through my profile. Thanks for reading!

Let's start with your education: where have you been educated? Where is part #2 :)

What an absolute load of bullcrap LOL

Experienced writers who have written thousands of projects don't usually need to write "drafts" in the first place. Typically, for anything shorter than roughly 10 pages, we just write the project, let it sit for a few hours, and then do a proofread to catch anything that needs to be corrected. When it comes to ordinary academic projects, nobody writes out "drafts" besides students and very inexperienced fledgling writers who don't yet really know what they're doing.

I've explained many times that no experienced writer who is in any kind of demand needs the headache of dealing with clients who request a "draft" before being paid (in full) for the project or the risk of scheduling and writing anything that isn't paid for in full. As I've also explained many times, there's only one realistic way for clients to limit their potential risk when dealing with a new writer: simply order and pay for a very short project (or a small section of a longer project) first, before trusting the new writer with a longer pre-paid project. In fact, I'd suggest that customers avoid any writer who agrees to write "drafts" before payment, because that's an obvious sign that you're dealing with a rank amateur whose writing calendar is empty.

For someone whose profile is ProResearcher, it is highly obvious from his statements that his the very kind of rank amateur that @FreelanceWriter is describing above. This guy is a newbie to the business who is trying to drum up some business for himself. Obviously coming from the third world ranks of writers, he is trying to sell himself as a competent writer by taking down the established writer hiring rules.

This declaration is what gives away his intent and his inability to actually do the job. By insinuating that he will do freebies in a way, I do not doubt that he is one of those illegitimate company writers who is trying to strike out on his own. That is why he believes that those silly company policies is the right way to do business in this field. I am absolutely sure that he is not skilled enough to be hired by the learned students who frequent this forum for established academic writers. Most of whom have over 3 decades of experience in the writing field.

Clearly the ranting is a sure indication of fear to prove yourself as a writer. Let's face it, even for the best of best, you have to score credibility at first sight with a client. Yes I agree different players will shoot their preferred policies, but nobody wants to take a chance with their money, especially where scammers are every inch away. Now if you consider yourself to be competent and boasting decades of experience, how about stuffing your ego into your pockets and work up a draft. Talk and talk never pays. Besides, for most of the self-glorified writers, it is a pity that all they ride on is names of companies who have built their reputation over time. That is why I am not surprised that what would be flashed to a client to prove reliability most often than not is a pile of stolen samples and a mouthful of a pitch glorifying oneself as experienced and drooling with expertise. For what's worth, work up that draft and if there's any value in what you say, your copy and not your verbosity will win you trust. So for y'all who are devastated that this is a tanking truth for the unqualified, you can go ahead and cry all you want. Let the clients have it and yes, the experienced ones know who to work with. Fact, most often, they do not need to keep adding to their library more writers. So yeah, don't get pissed at me for enlightening those that would easily fall prey of hungry monsters sustaining polite titles as 'scammers'.

A freelance writer who has worked on his reputation over years would not risk it just to score a few hundred dollars from one or two clients.


This is true, but not a consistent indicator. The main Ukrainian companies have (literally) dozens of websites charging different prices (across a very broad spectrum) for the same service specs. One of their sites can charge as much as 4 times what their other site charges. They know this perception concerning price exists and is real, and they are positioning themselves not to be impacted by it.

The main problem with ratings posted online is that they're very difficult to verify. I was attacked on this very site by a person claiming reviews on my site were falsified (even if there was no way that person could know if that was true or not), which they're not by the way. However, this does indicate that there is a problem with reviews, as there are many companies out there that just hire people to write hundreds of reviews for them without ever writing a single paper. This is a problem for those (like me), who have a smaller number of reviews that just happen to be completely true, because the general perception is skewed to the negative.

Most (nearly all) review sites specific to academic writing are fake. They are set up by the essay companies they endorse.
On the other hand, the independent review platforms are very unreliable. Very few of them have in place the necessary measures to verify customer testimonials. Anybody can claim anything about any company with no risk of interrogation.

I think the first thing to do in evaluating a prospective freelance writer is to check out his or her reputation online. It is true that many review sites are fake, but not all of them are - this one is not. Plus, one can gather a variety of reviews, both good and bad, think about where they come from, and then get a general sense. I would not stop here, though.

The second thing I'd recommend is to engage in a short correspondence with the writer. You will find out very quickly whether or not the writer is ENL or ESL, as well as whether or not the writer has a good sense of the work.

Finally, if the project is a long one with a reasonable deadline, I'd suggest starting with just a few pages. That way, you get a sense of the writer without making a huge investment right away.

This is quite tough, though. In the context of freelance essay writing, not a lot of writers would prefer to have their portfolios out in the open. This is mostly because they prefer to work in the outskirts of the career itself rather than having it exposed, considering that the field can garner a lot of contentions from other people.

I've always been very open about exactly what I do for a living anytime someone asks. If someone wants to discuss the ethical issues it might raise, I'm more than happy to have that discussion as well.

This is quite new information for me. What exactly do you think about the ethical issues concerning writing for academic writing site? Do you justify it because of the vulnerable situations of most students? Does it make you empathize more with them generally?

I'm more than happy to answer direct questions from anybody who's willing to do the same when I ask direct questions.


Obviously, the vast majority of our clients don't use the product to help them "write their own projects" and every writer and essay company knows this without any doubt, regardless of all the language to the contrary on their websites and in their "TOS." I don't have an ethical problem with it because it's not like we're taking medical or pilot licensing exams for anybody. There's no justification for the emphasis on written assignments in higher education in the first place, especially in courses for non-majors. Nurses and engineers don't become worse nurses or engineers because they outsourced their college History or Philosophy papers. The entire decision to pursue education beyond high school is optional; so, IMO, it's none of the schools' business what courses or skills students choose to work on outside of their degree programs (especially). This is obviously only a small part of a much longer and more complex conversation; but those are some of the broadest strokes.


As explained in greater detail in my Review thread, I empathize with them, precisely, because I remember how stressful and how much of a burden it was for me in college to have a 10 or 15-page term paper hanging over my head all semester, even for someone who was always a naturally-good writer. Ironically, considering how I ended up earning a living, that was the specific reason I chose law school instead of pursuing a higher degree in Psychology, despite the fact that I never had any interest in practicing law but would have made a fantastic psychologist. If I'd have known how good I was going to become at writing post-grad Psychology projects, I'd have pursued that career track and it's probably the main thing I'd change if I could live my life over again.

OK, I think those are pretty comprehensive, direct, and good-faith answers to all of your questions. My turn: You've mentioned writing for essay companies many times on this forum, most recently here: https://essayscam.org/forum/wc/writer-best-options-client-5164/#msg81752

What essay companies do you work for?

Also consider how the writer sells himself to his potential clients. If you found the writer because he reached out to you via social media during that one time you decided to scream 'I need to finish 12 papers in 2 days!!!" then beware. Look at his social media profile. compare when the profile was established in relation to how many "friends", likes, and retweets he has. If the number of positive reviews are not commensurate to the established timeline for the profile, that's another warning sign.