Have you been the victim of a scam copywriting enquiry recently? Over the past few months, I’ve had a growing number of emails from ‘clients’ trying to entice me with promises of meaty projects with juicy budgets – including one mentioning ProCopywriters. These enquiries are getting more sophisticated and convincing. But scratch beneath the surface and it becomes clear that these are not real clients.
I know from conversations that other copywriters are also seeing an increase in these scam requests – and some have got quite far down the road with these enquiries. In all likelihood, you’d do the work and then when it was time to invoice, the ‘client’ would engineer some ploy to get you to share your bank details and send money to a fraudulent operator. The upshot? You’ve wasted time and money that could be devoted to real clients.
As one copywriter said to me, “It’s sad how scammers are targeting hardworking freelancers who are just trying to grow their businesses. We need more conversations like this to protect our community.”
So, in this collective spirit, I’d like to share my top five tips to help you spot a scammer.
- Your email lacks the personal touch
Your enquiry might not include a salutation or it could be addressed with your full name. The email might also come from a Gmail account (although some genuine clients do use Gmail accounts in my experience). Another red flag is when the company’s brand name isn’t consistent on their emails and website/social media. This can be quite subtle – one copywriter told me that his scammer was using a singular version of the company’s brand name in emails but a plural form on the website.
The timings of the emails can also be a giveaway. The two enquiries I’ve received in the past month have both arrived in the early hours of the morning. This isn’t necessarily the sign of a scammer as it could be from an international business. However, it could be a red flag.
- A sketchy brief
One of the emails I received last month talked a good game about ‘brand messaging’ and ‘enhancing readability and engagement’. The email was convincing on the surface but, when you dug deeper, the details were fairly sketchy. It didn’t talk about the business in any detail or their goals. This is a major red flag as real clients will usually refer to pain points in their initial emails or, at the very least, give some background on the business.
- An upfront budget reveal
This is the biggest red flag of them all. How many clients do you know who reveal the budget in their initial email? Many businesses don’t even have a clear idea of how much money they want to spend when they first get in touch, and even if they do, they aren’t going to share this information with you at this stage.
One copywriter told me, “The client shared budget details before giving clear details about the project and my gut feeling made me reject the offer (it was all too good to be true).”
A savvy client will want to get a good idea of how much you think the project is worth and then compare your quote with those from at least two competitors. In fact, I always advise potential clients to get a few quotes so they can make an informed decision. And it’s exactly what I do whenever I’m hiring a professional for any job.
- Very few questions are forthcoming
Another telltale sign is a lack of questions. The ‘client’ will often say that he or she is impressed by your credentials but fails to ask any more probing questions about your experience in their sector. Genuine clients typically ask to see work samples or evidence of results delivered. So, if your enquirer doesn’t ask these questions, alarm bells should be ringing.
- Refusal to jump on a call
Sometimes it’s obvious that the email is a scam but it’s not always clear-cut. In those instances, I always ask the ‘client’ if they would like to book a video call to discuss the project in more detail. Invariably, if it’s a scammer, he or she will decline the invitation. The last one told me that she could ‘only communicate by email for audit and documentary purposes’ – a clear red flag if ever there was one. I responded with a polite email declining the project – explaining that I only work on projects where I can talk with the client (either in person or virtually).
If you’re unsure whether your enquiry is genuine or not, it’s wise to do some detective work. Google is often my first port of call for a bit of sleuthing. Check out the credentials of any enquirers online – have a look at their LinkedIn profile and website (you’d probably do this anyway as part of your background research on any client). Does everything look legit? Is their website fully populated? A recent enquirer of mine had a convincing homepage. But when I started to dig a little deeper, I could see that their team bios were populated with Latin text.
Obviously, you don’t want to turn away genuine enquiries. But, with a little detective work, you should be able to sort the scammers from those genuine clients you really do want to work with.
Photo credit: Unsplash (Marcus Winkler)