Should I Be Worried? Personal information when ordering a custom paper online.

Hi,

I am a uni student.
I'm not proud of this and I feel guilty but I've used essay writing services on a many occasions now due to how anxious and stuck I become with essays. During this period more so with the epidemic, I've found myself going to essay writing companies for help as where everywhere is on lockdown/quarantine students have been studying online from home and at my uni I haven't been receiving the best support from our lecturers.

It was a friend that introduced me to two companies who seem very good in that they have been professional. Recently however my friend asked me how I had paid for the essays and method used. My friend had previously used bitcoins to pay as it allowed anonymity. I on the other hand have been using my bank card and PayPal. He told me this is quite risky as it will be on my bank statement and also their bank statement too then how my personal email address has also been revealed which is just as risky.

After me and my friend spoke I've been worried.
My fear is that, as I paid with my credit card, this reveals my legal passport name to the company. Then where I paid with PayPal, this reveals my full name, email address and address. I understand the companies will not send any personal information to the writers and both companies state this in their policies which I understand. At the same time, I'm still afraid I could be subject to blackmail or being exposed from an employee or someone from the customer service team where they may release that I have used their services. Not in an egoistical way but my name isn't common as it's a cultural name plus it's easy to find me online at the moment as I am a influencer/YouTuber who uses my full legal name. Where I currently study is also public as I've done previous campaigns for my uni too where I try to encourage students. If this situation does happen, I will take full responsibility as I am in the wrong. At the moment though I don't know if I'm in the correct frame of mind to handle such a situation because a lot is happening where my mind has been going everywhere. Maybe I'm overthinking.

But I'd like to know what best to do. And is there such a thing as paying anonymously without using bitcoins?

Since you've already found this forum, just use the search function to check out the history of any writer here. (Always change the default "Titles" to "Messages" so that your results aren't limited to thread titles with your search term.) Understand that any writer who has been here under the same user ID for 10+ years is probably a VERY low risk of the kind of thing you're worrying about. We make a living writing projects and retaining as close to 100% of our first-time clients as long-term clients as possible, not by misusing our clients' info for blackmail or anything else; and if we'd ever done anything like that, we wouldn't have been able to use the same ID for a decade or more because victims would have posted about it and/or reported it to admin and we wouldn't be allowed to continue advertising here. Given the vast amount of information available right on this forum through the search function, you'd almost have to try as hard to find a writer who couldn't be trusted not to blackmail you or misuse your information in some other way as you would just to try to find a good legitimate writer.

@Freelancewriter

Hi, thanks for responding and for your advice too.
I didn't find the two writing companies through this site but through a friend.

If you don't want to use Bitcoin, then you won't really be able to mask your full name or location. Using a direct bank transfer will limit the information you provide though since important data is crossed out from the transfer form. The most that will be seen is you account name, the name of the receiver, their bank information, and amount transferred. I agree with your friend though, bitcoin has advantages when dealing with these sorts of situations. I accept bitcoins as a form of payment because my bank allows bitcoin transfers and purchases. It comes in handy for some writers and it appears, some students too.

It doesn't really matter where you first found any companies or writers. Now that you've found this forum, just use it to see whether you can find any information about them here.

The risk of your user information being used against you is very strong and real, regardless of the location and how or why you gave the information. the length of time that a person / writer has been using his name on the website does not provide any degree of comfort when it comes to whether that person will use that information to blackmail you or not. There is always a first time for everything. Bitcoin is a dying currency as far as I am concerned and there are enough security measures in place through legitimate payment channels that will protect your personal information when paying for services.

I've seen firsthand how quickly things can go sideways when you're too casual with your personal data online. There is a real lack of self-preservation among students today; they hand over details without a second thought, not realizing that once that information is out there, you can never truly get it back.

Every time you fill out a form or sign up for a service, you're taking a gamble. I've learned the hard way that there is always a risk of your data being misused, sold, or leaked down the line. This is especially dangerous for students who use those custom-paper websites. You think you're just ordering an essay, but you're actually handing over a treasure trove of info to companies that might not have the best track record for security.

My advice? Always be a little paranoid when you're asked to share your details. Mask as much as possible, use secondary emails, and never surrender more than the bare minimum. Protecting your digital footprint is just as important as getting the grade.