Most of us are savvy enough to spot a sleazeball. He may be a guy at the bar telling you a story that is obviously being made up on the spot. Or, he might be a used car salesman whose slimy voice and seedy sports coat make you think twice. She might even be a clerk that you can tell is just trying to make a sale when she tells you, “That outfit looks spectacular on you.” All three are liars of different degrees, and all three want something out of you, whether it’s a free beer or a nice commission.

Internet scam artists have an advantage over these easy-to-spot hucksters. We can’t see them or hear them, so our usual methods of detecting sincerity don’t hold up. We can’t check for eye contact or tone of voice. We can’t observe that the guy who claims he can help you make $100,000 a year is wearing a $40 suit and has a prison tattoo…on his face.

With more and more copywriters working from home, either to pursue a freelance career or due to layoffs in a suffering economy, they are especially ripe targets for Internet scam artists. There are good opportunities available on the web, so you don’t want to stop surfing for gigs altogether. You just need to know what the warning signs are. Any one of the following should send up a red flag, the virtual equivalent of a cheap toupee and a “Wanna buy a watch?” voice.

• No Community. The best websites with real opportunities for freelancers give a voice to their workers. If a site doesn’t provide any way for members to communicate with each other, or at the very least to leave public comments to the site administrators themselves, you should approach with caution. Any site that truly cares about its talent wants to hear what they have to say. They should also have easy-to-find contact information in case you have a problem.

• Must Pay Up Front…With or Without Results. The number of sites that help match clients with freelancers is climbing, but a large number of them make their money by charging the writers for using the service. The charge stands whether you sell any work or not. Stick with a company that only takes a fee if you actually make money. (For those who work at home, the charge is usually considerably less than you would end up paying for gas, meals and appropriate clothing if you worked in an office.)

• Exaggerated Claims. “Live the life of luxury. Make 75k a year.” Ads that promise a specific amount of income, or a guarantee of wildly-exaggerated success of any kind, are pulling your leg. Period. The world’s most prestigious universities don’t promise jobs or income amounts to their students. No product, site, seminar or company can or should make grand promises of success. With the right site, hard work can pay off, but no one hands out money on a silver platter.

• Poor Writing. “Learn how you’re copy can make you a milionere.” If you spot rampant errors in an ad or a website’s copy, in a word: run. If you can do a better job then they can, you don’t need them. In fact, they should hire you to write their ads. (Send them a quote; see how it turns out!) Be lenient, however, when it comes to your individual clients. Their lack of language skills is why they need you.

Do you have your own stories of freelance scams or web writing horror stories? Share them here. The more we spread the word and share information, the better a marketplace we create for ourselves and fellow copywriters. Information is the best way to rid the net of rats. Let’s fumigate!

by Elizabeth Kelly