Scared of Data Entry Scams?

I have noticed that the most read about post in my blog is the one “Beware of Data Entry Scams”. This indicates that there are a lot of people looking to work online plus a lot of people looking to do data entry. Just on the side note, a lot of people I know have been asking me if I can share some of the data entry projects that I do cause they want to do that kind of work, and I tell them straight out that “you and a million others are looking to do data entry work”. You should read my post about the different types of data entry work because it can be more complicated than you think.

Anyway, I think that it is good that people now has the knowledge  about scams, because when I started my virtual career, I didn’t know about this as work scams were something new and I got scammed several times.

There is however one question I have been asked repeatedly and that is if I think the website is a scam.

Here is my answer, Never, Never work or apply for work with a company or website that ask you to pay. I don’t know about others, but based on my experience, the best companies I work for and work with didn’t ask me for payments.

Just as the same, for virtual clients, never engage the services of people or companies that ask you to pay first before showing you some work, unless the companies are the big legitimate companies. I have clients complained to me that they paid somebody in advance but didn’t get any work done.

So I hope everyone is clear on this. Take care and best of luck!

JERRILE GORDON IS A FRAUD (OK, US)

Here is another scam alert posted by someone in Craigslist.

To all freelance worker Be careful of this guy… He doesn’t pay.
His address: 6000 East Reno Ave Apt 312, Midwest city, OK 73110 United States

I have worked for this guy last November 2008. He promised me to pay $6 per hour to build links for his site and be paid through XOOM. He owed me $235.98 and promised to pay me. I waited for him for few months. I emailed him and messaged him through YM every time I see him online. But he signed out every time I remind him. Then last February 2009, he told me that he will pay me through PayPal instead of XOOM. He then send me $160 and promising to pay the rest when have money. The same day, he asked for $200 refund so I canceled it in my PayPal. Few days passed by, he filed a dispute and asking for refund. Now, his payment was reversed.

Original Transaction
Date Type Status Details Gross Fee Net
Mar. 5, 2009 Payment From jerrile gordon Reversed Details $160.00 USD -$6.54 USD $153.46 USD

Related Transactions
Date Type Status Details Gross Fee Net
Mar. 10, 2009 The funds that were placed on temporary hold have been reversed Removed Details -$160.00 USD $6.54 USD -$153.46 USD
Mar. 15, 2009 Update to Reversal Canceled … $153.46 USD $0.00 USD $153.46 USD
Mar. 15, 2009 Reversal Completed Details -$160.00 USD $6.54 USD -$153.46 USD

An Alert to Writers

To all writers be you Filipino or not, be alerted on latest writing scams. Please read report below from a fellow writer who posted this in Craigslist.

There has been a rash of web writing job ads lately here in Philippine craigslist.

These job ads are posted by Oliver Talamayan, aka Oliver Turner aka Bruce, aka. Few months ago, I was among the many writers who submitted 10 articles to him but never got any payment in return. At that time he uses an email address as bruce@gmail.com.

Many writers from Surigao as well as in Cebu fell victim to this brazen scammer.

I googled this Oliver’s Turner’s name and I discovered that his former name was Oliver Talamayan from the Philippines. He fled to the US to avoid arrest from the authorities.

He then changed his name to Oliver Turner.

To my surprise, I found six of the articles I’ve written for him in www.ezinearticles.com. All articles contain his name as the byline.

He has a new racket today. He contracts poor, innocent writers to write articles for him. He pays $2 to $5 each. Then he sells these at $25 per article to US clients.

Today, he owns www.captivatetoconnect.com.

Fellow writers, you have been warned. Don’t write for this chronic scammer.

Feel free to copy and repost this ad in Craigslist. Also, feel free to paste this ad in your blogs so that other writers will be alerted.

It’s high time that we writers unite together and show our loathing to scammers like Oliver Turner.

Another ad from Oliver Talamayan aka Oliver Turner.

He uses a gmail address when he replied to my email s but later on I found out that his skype account is Oliver Turner.

It seems that he’s desperately trying to lure freelance writers to write for him. He said he pays $3 per article but assured me that the rate will increase.

$3 to $4 per article? No way.

I didn’t pay go through rigorous college life just to end up with this dirt-cheap pay.

My sentiments exactly! A lot of these companies are paying way below our rate for local writers which is really funny. Neither did my parents send me to college just to work for cheap pay and neither did I finish my college just to prostitute my brain!