Ways to Avoid Academic Blackmail

There have been at least 2 students who are still being blackmailed by an unscrupulous academic writing company. They are being forced to pay for some fake academic certification or risk being reported to (non-existent) academic authorities.

This is a situation that can be easily avoided if proper measures are taken to protect the student's privacy and information before placing the order. Here are some steps students can follow to prevent this from happening to them. The rules apply to both writing companies and freelancers.

1. Use a throw-away email address. Never use your school email account for any reason. The email address should be a different one each time you work with a company. Make sure you can delete it after the deal so any emails sent after will bounce.

2. Use a burner phone to reach out to them. Pay as you go phones will allow you to use a new number with each company. Trash it as soon as the deal is completed.Do not wait for the harassment starts.

3. Never order a cover page or header that contain any identifying information. You can do these yourself.

4. Revise the paper yourself if you have problems with the paper provided. That is as long as the paper is actually usable.

5. Be aware of information you are typing into their chat screen when inquiring or on their writer PM board. Never divulge any school or student number information.

6. Never reach out to these companies via chat apps like Viber and Whatsapp. Be extremely weary of FB, Instagram, or Twitter promoted / listed academic writing companies or writer profile links.

7. Do not hire writers found on Tiktok. There is no way of verifying their credentials or trusting them to be on the level with their business.

8. Ask for opinions at trusted sites like Essay Scam before hiring any company or independent writer.

9. Investigate the company and writer backgrounds before hiring. Never assume that self promotion or glowing reviews are on the level or not paid for. Ask the right questions of independent parties before hiring any service or person.

These are the protective or preventive moves I have thought of so far. Everybody feel free to add your own helpful advice. The students will really appreciate it.

* Remember, they cannot blackmail you if they cannot reach you through readily available internet, social media, and phone channels.

Actually, despite your very best continual efforts to falsely disparage me all over this forum, one of those students decided to use me for his 4,500-word UK project in a subject outside of my own "degree" areas. He ordered it Tuesday evening with a 4-day deadline, and he received it in less than half that time. The adjective that he used to describe my writing in thanking me for my work was "brilliant." He can identify himself if he wishes. When I delivered it, I strongly suggested that he use it as a model for his own work; but he owns the exclusive copyright to the work, so what he ultimately chooses to do with it and exactly how he chooses to use it is entirely his private business and not mine. No adult needs any essay company or writer dictating to him what he may or may not do with work that he now owns.

The last thing that he, or any client of mine, ever has to worry about is being "blackmailed," because I've been doing business (only) under this same ID on this forum since 2008. He knows my full name and I'm also easily identifiable through my payment processor, website, and my AOL email address that I've used for 20+ years. I live in NYC (which the owners of this forum can confirm, together with my full name in response to any complaint, just from my advertising payment information), where blackmail is a felony under the laws of New York State and which is also under the FBI's federal jurisdiction, especially when it involves the internet. I make my living by providing excellent essays and earning my clients' continued business, more often than not, throughout their entire educational careers from their first essay until they receive their degrees. Still, if clients are that concerned about divulging their identities to me, I also give them a foolproof payment option that allows them to maintain their anonymity, completely. Fewer than 10% of my clients choose that option, precisely because my identity and email and website, and the fact that the owners of this forum have all of my personal information, would make it absolutely impossible for me to "blackmail" anybody without going to prison for it the very first time I tried it. That's another advantage of using a writer who advertises here, even if advertising here isn't necessarily "proof" of high quality work, in and of itself.

@FreelanceWriter

No doubt you approached both of them offering your services. As ever, the opportunist.
The ability of anyone to write a 4,500 word essay at undergraduate or postgraduate level in 2 days in a subject outside of his own "degree" areas means he has resorted to using essay banks, cut and paste and/or sub-contracting.

All I can say is that you have breached English law by writing an essay for this student. I don't think it would be a good idea for him to identify himself bearing in mind open forums are 'policed' by authorities. You have done him no favors by writing the essay for him. As you won't have read or much less understood the 2022 legislation, I hope the student concerned appreciates that you have put him in a precarious position.

I will be continuing this thread with notes as suggestions occur to me to keep this thread on a helpful track. Let's try to stay on topic with applicable information, rather than blatant self-promotion that is not aligned with the topic.

Regardless of whom you hire and how the writer was hired, approach all writers with distrust and a conciousness that any writer or company may change their minds and decide to blackmail you after the deal is completed or long after you have completed the course, but is assumed to still be in school (regardless of study level).

Be specially weary of the intention of writers who contact you directly. Avoid hiring writers found through writer initiated contact and/or solicitations. They are the most worrisome kind and often end up blackmailing the student.

Your protection is in your hands. Distrust is the best way to get that shield up. It makes you ask the right questions. It helps you to see red flags about the writer and the deal being cooked up before it turns into a problem.