Im actually in the same boat pooch. I've been doing freelance for a couple of years. Was a Psych/English major. If you don't mind, PM me and let me know if you find a good company. I just started to work over the internet recently. I used to work at the local college but since I left work has slowed down.

In response to your question broken, I've looked for a while and not found a website or forum that offers that service. I would recommend going through craigslist. Find an individual who uses paypal and will work with you to fulfill your requirements. You will probably pay 17-25 per page for quality service.

These are true of craigslist. However, using paypal provides much of this. The only information at risk is ones email adress. Paypal has a contesting system and, because of the assumed emails that will be sent back and forth outlaying the agreement, an individual should be able to prove if they are scamed.

As far as validation of skills go...well its the internet. Forgive the childish example: If I open up a website that says I am the King of Norway and vacation on Mars...this doesn't offer any validation. With essay writing references are unlikely.

All other forms of "safety" are really up to the wisdom of the user. A craigslist scammer is no different than any other online scammer.