EssayScam ForumEssayScam.org
Unanswered      
  
Posts by Major / Posting Activity: ☆☆ 279
I am: Unspecified
Joined: Oct 03, 2006
Last Post: Aug 28, 2019
Threads: 35
Posts: 1449  
Displayed posts: 1296 / page 9 of 33
sort: Latest first   Oldest first   |
Major   
Jul 14, 2016

The topic sentence is obvious - 'students use academic paper services and the education system is broken.' There have been dozens of publications on that and all reporters made the same mistake - they wrongly assumed they were 'interviewing' legitimate/organic students or freelance writers when in fact they were played by professional marketers; I'm just trying to help make something more original, more insightful, and truthful. It'd be easy to approve or disapprove comments made by any student or freelance writer here, but most reporters are afraid to face the truth; they prefer to pretend they found a 'genuine' person without validating their statements (because only then it is possible for them to prove the validity of their own agenda).
Major   
Jul 14, 2016

I'd watch for people who pretend to be customers (some shady companies from the UK have a 'marketing' team that create their own, fake reputation by posting inaccurate / fabricated information on their flashy websites and publishing fake press-releases and related information to the public). I imagine you'll be contacted by a 'student' (working directly or indirectly with an academic research service) whose only goal will be to mention the company's name he used to work with - in general, if you are going to mention the name of the service, expect a shady marketing team playing with you (their only goal is publicity of their company name).

If you want to know the real state of the industry, the most accurate approach would be to research this forum and/or ask questions publicly; otherwise, you will get a flawed and manipulated view.
Major   
Jul 13, 2016

It's a little weird when you think how it's possible that all these social media are 100% 'free' and these companies are worth billions at the same time. All of them, especially Facebook, use this free data to create Artificial Intelligence.. so people who use these free services are (knowingly or not) subject to interesting social, psychoanalytic, biometric, etc. research. The new Pokemon fits the scenario too ;)
Major   
Jul 11, 2016

"I want an individual writer, not a company. Do you know anyone good?"

There is a psychological aspect to it. A student asks you to refer another good freelance writer, thinking: "Maybe he'll get me someone good and inexpensive; if not, I may get back to him and tell him it didn't work, and maybe then he'll feel obligated to find me another writer or will try to do it himself." So you (willingly or not) act as a customer service person to this student -- and it works in a similar way to working with an example research service would. Indirectly, the student has a backup in you; that's why, he doesn't want you to refer him/her to a company.
Major   
Jul 11, 2016

It's debatable whether students (customers) would actually like to keep in touch with writers for hire and/or to network with them. It's like hiring a plumber - he does the job and there's no need to even friend or like him on one of the social media sites. Besides, it may cause privacy issues (these days if you are a 'friend' of somebody, even if you don't personally know him/her, you may be considered to actually know him and his/her friends).
Major   
Jul 11, 2016

Have you tried social media (Facebook, twitter, etc.) to advertise your freelance writing services? I personally don't believe in the effectiveness of it (mostly because time spent vs. reward gained is not optimistic + it's hard to measure).
Major   
Jul 08, 2016

I don't think it's about rebranding - it appears Google has just 'banned' several obvious keywords, like: buy essay, buy term paper, order academic paper, etc. (they don't show up as ads), but hundreds of related keywords or phrases are free to go. Here are some example titles of paid ads I found:

Homework Help from $14. Any subject, any Deadline
Writing Help. Send your Task to our Nerds Now
Get your Writing Help - #1 Choice for Quality Essay Help
Write Custom Essay - Cheap Essay Consultation Service
PhD Dissertation Database - Instant Access to Millions of Dissertations
Get Research Paper - We Will Help With Your Thesis
Research Paper Consultant
Research Papers for You - We Will Help with Your Theses
Expert Writing Service
Paper Writing - Hire Top Paper Writers

Besides, the foreign tricksters tend to use disposable domains in their ads (which may sometimes only cost $0.99 a year or be free when ordered with a web hosting service), so EVEN IF they are banned from advertising, they have 10 new ones working the next day.
Major   
Jul 08, 2016

I've just done a quick search (after disabling personal search results to make sure the set is as accurate as it can be for a typical student). I typed in two keywords: best essay and received the following results in Google:

PAID ADS:

essay cash
the best essays help

ORGANIC:

best essays-writer
best essay education
best essays world blogspot
get-essay
buy essays
grade miners
uk best essay
australian essay
essay company

-----

100% of these results are foreign. There are zero results from a legitimate US/UK writing service. While it appears Google has got rid of their main spamming website, a few new ones have popped up to replace it (or to redirect to the main site). The good news is that in time Google may finally figure out they feature the fraudulent and black-hat sites, but it may take more time - months, or maybe years, who knows.

Until then, students who don't want to get scammed have one choice - to rely on forums like this or to try to dig deeper and determine if the site that stays high on Google has actually any honest reputation (not built by spam links but by real references, real reviews, or citations).
Major   
Jul 02, 2016

There's yet another aspect not covered here - the majority of the newer (established after 2002) academic research sites have simply stolen ideas, marketing and other tools, and content (Terms of Use, Privacy, Disclaimers, Frequently Asked Questions, etc.) from the industry's pioneers. Some of them, like UK Essays, have the gall to publicly lie about it and announce to the world that they have 'invented' something or that they are 'the first to offer' something when in fact this 'something' has been started or offered by their more established competitors for years.
Major   
Jun 22, 2016

This looks like a legitimate list. I'd also add BBB membership could be a strong and positive factor. It may be nice to create a similar but REVERSE / negative list (for example, there are academic paper websites that try to distort reality by publishing a fake date in the Copyright notice - that should probably decrease the total Rate by X points).

There is this tool that allows freelance writers, students, and other people doing business online to find out the IP address of the other person (to confirm their location) - https://verifyyourip.com - it can be useful for all kinds of business transactions if the other person uses an anonymous email (like gmail, yahoo, outlook, hotmail, aol) which hide the IP of the sender. Or if a writer claims to be from the UK but in fact his/her IP shows that he either uses a proxy IP or is not based in the UK. Smart students can use this tool before they send payment to yet another 'Harvard professor' who is in fact an undergraduate student from the Kenyatta University in Nairobi ;).
Major   
Jun 21, 2016

Google adwords is a constant battle

I know in theory they don't allow advertising of 'academic paper services,' but in fact there are sites that do advertise with them (still, they mostly use disposable domains which just redirect users to their main, mostly foreign-owned, websites). I wonder what is the current typical rate per click (from google.com, not from third-party ads) - my guess is it could be between $1 and $3 per click..
Major   
Jun 17, 2016

Whoever has ever hired a freelance writer posing as a legitimate writer has already seen three sides of a coin ; ) Scammers using anonymous emails are very creative to the point I'm not surprised so many students have been scammed. They would, for example, register a legitimate-looking/sounding domain to host their email - eg. stlouislawoffice.net) -- there's no limit to their will to defraud.
Major   
Jun 17, 2016

I guess the bottom line is that students don't 'have time' / 'are too lazy' to do detailed research on who is legitimate or not; the fact is that out of 10 anonymous writers 8 ARE either scammers or lie about their location/credentials. (not saying you are anonymous, just in general) Those who have more time to research will find out you are in the 20% category. I don't understand your frustration - nobody is here to attack you personally (it seems whenever someone mentions the keywords: 'writer' / 'freelance writer' / 'independent writer' you assume they are talking about you).
Major   
Jun 01, 2016

I'd then suggest that you start an advertising agency for writers ; ). But there could be another explanation - the right (ie. those who need exactly what you offer) contact you. Do they pay after you send them a quote or they pay right away once they fill out the form with order requirements?
Major   
Jun 01, 2016

I'd say that anything over 2% in the online advertising world is very good, so 6-9% is excellent. How can you tell these numbers are accurate (what if the same student uses different emails ; )
Major   
May 24, 2016

But what about the guide on how to choose a service?

This is all a student who is going to order an essay for the first time needs:

1. Check the WHOIS info of a domain and note its registration date and location. Verify this information on the website.
2. Go to EssayScam.org.
3. Use the search feature (by typing in the name of the site).
4. Land on a page where the real WHOIS info is posted (usually by writersbeware2).
5. Read reviews or comments of other members related to the site.
6. Repeat 1-5.
Major   
May 22, 2016

It would be nice to see yet another evidence of their international criminal activities. It's funny to see foreign sites that are a copycat of websites created before, for example freelanceessaywriters.com. Have you seen discuss essays dotcom - I sometimes go there if I feel like posting a joke on one of the social media websites ; ).
Major   
May 18, 2016

advertise just an email address the way they've been doing on Essay Chat.

I tried to post an ad using a fake email, but it doesn't work, maybe it worked this way previously but now it's required to have an established account.

blanket statements about writers who use their AOL emails

If there are several genuine freelance writers with an @aol account and 10,000 fake or unprofessional ones, the statement is close to 100% valid.
Major   
May 18, 2016

Monetary investment: $0

Yes (provided you used a free WIFI to access the Internet ; ). Still, the new 'Freelance Writers' addition that doesn't allow freelance writers to add an ad on EssayChat without having posted here (and continue posting to keep the ad active) takes care of it; low-quality writers will have to reveal their poor writing skills here :).
Major   
May 17, 2016

That's an interesting question (and assumption). I don't believe a 'fancy website' equals a 'better writing service' though. It's quite often the opposite - writers or companies that deliver what they promise don't NEED to have a fancy website because their high-quality products/services speak for themselves. A lot of fancy websites miss the point and by adding more bells-and-whistles they make the site less efficient and more confusing. In the 'academic research business' it's even more exposed because for foreign owners of such services creating a fancy website is essential in their overall strategy; their writers cannot compete with English native speakers, so instead they *try* to compete in a better web design. Even the most successful freelance writers (still) use an email address to conduct 100% of their freelance writing services because this is all they need to make it efficient and long-lasting.

Regarding search engines, they don't necessarily prefer fancy sites (look how 'fancy' their own homepages are).
Major   
May 15, 2016

So after a few years the /guarantee-final-mark.php page is gone (probably because it was advised by a lawyer it was illegal).

Now this one appears: ukessays.com/guarantees.php

"To qualify for this guarantee you must encompass (but not necessarily limit yourself to) all the main arguments and points in your main submission. You must write in a coherent, well-presented manner, and do so entirely in your own words. The main references we use should also be referred to. It is unacceptable to copy and paste text directly, or to simply 'change the words' around. Your piece of work must be a 100% original creation derived from the information we provide you and your own independent research. Anything else is plagiarism, and is a breach of company rules and academic integrity."

It's so vague and written in a general tone that it would be almost impossible for a student to prove that:

The work is:

- written in a coherent manner (who decides if it is coherent or not?),
- 100% original creation (what if it is 99% original - how do you measure that?),
- written 'entirely' in your own words (what if 2 words are not entirely your own?).

Since these are the official Terms to get your money back, I'd say the chances of beating these terms / the system and actually getting your money back are close to zero. I wonder how many percent of students who requested a refund have actually received it.

Furthermore, '[the student] must do your own independent research' - so it means on top of paying $60 per page, students are required to do the job anyway. If not, the guarantee is null and void. At best, this guarantee should be hidden on the Terms page because advertising it seems to have the opposite effect to what it was hoped for.

I don't have anything about this company, but I wonder why they keep crossing the creepy line, which gives the whole academic research industry a bad name. In addition, some of their statements and slogans sound as if they were the first to provide custom academic paper services or certain solutions - which is obviously untrue.
Major   
May 13, 2016

I consider it as a very good option that could benefit students (who are looking to hire a writer):

- A freelance writer who wants to advertise, must show his/her writing skills to the public (by posting messages in this forum). No more copy-pasting of pre-written advertising content.

- This in itself is going to eliminate 80% of inadequate 'freelance writers' from foreign countries whose English language level is too low for the academic standards.

The only question is who can actually advertise - can companies advertise too or only hard-core freelance writers could? Since it's allowed to advertise a Website I guess companies could advertise too as long as they don't try to kill the idea by advertising as a company (they could write a copy from a freelance writers' point of view).

Finally, is the selected 'Country' field verified? For example, can a writer from Kenya claim to be from the US? On the other hand, the Country location is not 100% bullet-proof and could be faked, so it could be tricky to play the IP address / Country game.
Major   
May 11, 2016

It seems to be a big deal and change to writers who advertise here or on EssayChat? What's your (freelance writers / students) opinion on that?

This statement (considering the new addition to 'Freelance Writers') is pretty much, using the legal terms, null and void :)
Major   
May 09, 2016

whose real intention

This statement (considering the new addition to 'Freelance Writers') is pretty much, using the legal terms, null and void :)
Major   
Apr 27, 2016

Services / freelancers who advertise here can also be discussed. I guess most visitors prefer clearly-marked ads than reading 'organic' posts that feel like advertising in disguise.
Major   
Apr 26, 2016

Freelance writers typically don't have enough resources to manage unexpected situations. If something bad happens you may expect delays (if you order from a writing service they are usually able to reassign your order to another writer to meet your established deadline). There are exceptional writers who have a backup plan and even if they cannot work on get online, someone will contact you and keep the communication going.
Major   
Apr 21, 2016
General Talk / How to find essay writers? [33]

In the top-right corner there is a banner. Click on it to go to a legitimate website. Or go to essayscam.org/rs/ and try one of them.
Major   
Apr 20, 2016
General Talk / How to find essay writers? [33]

I can tell they are not foreign sites and you may use the search feature here to possibly find comments from other students.