Accentuate Writers Forum

FreelanceHomeWriters.com

Mich - 1/17/2008 at 07:16 AM

Okay, I won't link to them so they don't get link backs from the forum here, but I've been seeing this advertisement around the google ads for FreelanceHomeWriters-dot-com and I had someone ask me about them, so I went there to investigate and here's what I discovered.

First, the website looks nice, great colors, professionally done - all well and good, but when you click on more information it takes you to a a really high pressured copywritten sales page that is just not what a 'writer' would typically see for a business posting job offers for writing. It talks about how much money you can make - how if you write three article per day you can make 10,000 bucks per year - wow oh wow, whatever, and man, just think if you do 8-10 per day - you'll be rich rich rich.

Yeah, BS. First, most people can't write quality articles at the rate of 10 article per day every single day. Second, I'm really suspicious that they even have enough listing to cover that many per day for every person who wants to do that many.

So I decided I'd at least give them the benefit of the doubt and check them out before making any further judgments about them. I signed up - something I had to do before I could see job postings, and once I did, I figured I'd be able to see at least a partial listing of jobs.

Boy was I wrong. Instead, once they had my email address (thankfully I use a yahoo address just for testing sites like this one so they can't spam my real email), I was then taken to a screen where I was told that TODAY ONLY! I could get my membership from them not at the high 99.95 they usually charge, but for only 49.95!!!!

They even give a nifty membership card and all that other good crap. You cannot see the job postings unless you pay - so there is no way to see if there is even a job posting.


So I was thinking in my head: SCAM!

So what did I do? I went to read the FAQs and here is #1 listed on their Frequently Asked Questions:

" How do I know this isn't a scam?
Answer: Absolutely not! We wouldn't be able to do business online very long if we were only here to blindly take your money and leave you high and dry. We've been online for nearly 6 years now and are very proud to be legit!"

First - Absolutely not! didn't actually answer the question that was asked, but you know - when it comes down to it, any place that has to actively tell you that they are not as scam are, indeed, usually a scam.

Secondly, they charge a fee without even letting you look at what the site has to offer...

Okay, I wrote this article:

http://selfemployment.suite101.com/article.cfm/tips_for_freelance_c...

Which is about tips for freelance contractors to protect yourself when freelancing, and with the exception of freelance bid sites, no one should EVER pay for a freelance job to the employer themselves. Freelance contract employers pay you - you don't pay them!!!!

Never ever pay someone money to give you job - EVER!

russelllindsey - 2/15/2008 at 10:42 AM

Thanks for checking it out! I've seen there ads before. It is amazing to see all of those scams out there. No matter what you want to do, you have to be careful.

Melanie - 2/15/2008 at 03:04 PM

I've never even seen the site, but it sounds like they are selling membership to a job's database or perhaps an ebook about how to make $10,000 a year as a freelance writer or something like that. It doesn't appear they are giving you a job writing for $49.95.

Actually, I just went and read the FAQ and it seems very clear that they are selling a 'system' or database of markets that can make you money, not offering a job.

This would be no different form Michy (or anyone) writing a book about how to make money freelance writing and selling it online, or charging a small subscription fee to view her big list of updated markets. Would THAT be a scam?

I just get angry when people yell "SCAM" anytime someone is trying to make money. I suppose it is because I'm in internet marketing myself. Where is the scam?

I'm sorry for the seeming defense of this site. Really, I know nothing about them and would not recommend anyone purchase a 'system' for freelance writing. I'm not about to sign up and actually find out what they are offering, but I read nothing on there that said they are guaranteeing you a job writing for a certain amount or anything like that. It's only a scam if they promise something and don't deliver.

russelllindsey - 2/16/2008 at 12:44 PM

You have a point. In addition to working on turning my writing into a career, I'm working on setting up a retail website as well. As you can imagine, creating e-books is part of the long-term picture. You've given me something to think about. I'm really going to have to take care to make my site professional.
Quote:
Originally posted by MelanieS
I've never even seen the site, but it sounds like they are selling membership to a job's database or perhaps an ebook about how to make $10,000 a year as a freelance writer or something like that. It doesn't appear they are giving you a job writing for $49.95.

Actually, I just went and read the FAQ and it seems very clear that they are selling a 'system' or database of markets that can make you money, not offering a job.

This would be no different form Michy (or anyone) writing a book about how to make money freelance writing and selling it online, or charging a small subscription fee to view her big list of updated markets. Would THAT be a scam?

I just get angry when people yell "SCAM" anytime someone is trying to make money. I suppose it is because I'm in internet marketing myself. Where is the scam?

I'm sorry for the seeming defense of this site. Really, I know nothing about them and would not recommend anyone purchase a 'system' for freelance writing. I'm not about to sign up and actually find out what they are offering, but I read nothing on there that said they are guaranteeing you a job writing for a certain amount or anything like that. It's only a scam if they promise something and don't deliver.

Mich - 2/21/2008 at 09:38 PM

While it IS true that they are selling a 'system', part of the system is that they have a job board, where they guarantee there are enough paying leads there to utilize their system. The problem is, they do not allow you to 'see' that job board in order to verify any of this before you give them both your email address and your money.

Additionally, one of the ripoff reports sites said that they were unable to get their 100% satisfaction guarantee refund.

Add to that the very poor grammar and spelling issues in the FAQs, and I was less than impressed.

I know I'm harsh - but I'm sick of writers getting the short end of sticks. They have an affiliate program, so of course there is GLOWING praise from their affiliates, but when I emailed three different affiliates of theirs, they all told me the same thing - they have never purchased nor tried the 'system'; they were just affiliate marketers and this program had a good %.

I will note that I did only say I was thinking it was a scam - I never did actually CALL it a scam. Semantics, I know, but one is libelous and the other is not - so I guess sometimes semantics are important.

The thing that gets me about this particular system is that it doesn't really DO anything for you - and you can find free paying job leads all over the internet - like right here in my own forum - and freelance writers struggle enough in the beginning as it is.

So please understand, I am NOT one to tear apart a company without cause - I've been to other forums that do that, and I really want this one to be different - so if I offended, I do sincerely apologize for that (I'm an internet marketer too, after all) but please know that I researched this site in depth before I posted anything here and I read what many people had to say about it, emailed people, etc., before I ever said a word.

Hope that helps clear up my intentions a bit more....

Again, sorry to anyone I offended... but my opinion stands as far as freelancehomewriters.com

J Riva - 2/21/2008 at 09:51 PM

Michy,

It sounds like you did a good bit of detective work here and no one should doubt that you've had enough experience in the business end of writing to know a scam when you smell one.

Jean

Melanie - 2/22/2008 at 10:53 AM

Oh, I understand you aren't calling it a scam Michy. I wasn't trying to say that you were.

I think the place sounds fishy myself, and not a good choice for anyone interested in a freelance writing career. Like I said, I'd never recommend anyone do that, and certainly never purchase such a system/program/subscription myself.

It IS a bad idea. It is a bad website (spelling, grammar, heck, even the come-on is not very enticing) People can find plenty of job listings in other places (like here!) But that doesn't make it a scam.

Mich - 6/4/2008 at 02:26 AM

Update: After signing up for the initial section to get to the part where Freelance Home Writers asks to pay for membership, even though I did not complete the transaction, they had to get my email address (I use a yahoo address for possible spam sites where I don't have to worry about my real email being spammed). While I can't verify they sold my email, I do know that today they spammed me themselves.

I removed the links but they were affiliate links and here is the copy and paste (without the links) to the email Freelance Home Writers sent me today:

Michelle, $5k a month for Free
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 3:18 AM
From: "Freelance Home Writers" Add sender to Contacts To: "Michelle"

Michelle,

I've got something quite important
to tell you about...

The other day I got a package from my
friend Mike Masters.

He'd sent me a copy of the new product
he just finished up. It's called the
Instant Money Toolkit...

http://link_removed

I spent about 4 hours on Monday night
reading through the 250 page book he sent
and I gotta tell you...


This is just about the best thing I've
ever read, seriously. And I'm not
even done with it yet!

You'll learn every step you must take

to start, run and succeed with your
own online business and you'll even
learn how you can bring in an extra
income of at least 5 thousand bucks
per month.

Mike breaks it down into the exact 5
Critical Business Tools you'll need
to master to achieve success.

And then he shows you exactly how to do it!

Step-By-Step!

And guess what?

Right now Mike's letting you grab
your own copy for next to nothing.

All you need to do is pay for the
shipping and handling, which is
less that a movie ticket. And Mike
will send you a copy of his
incredible program.

You can grab yours below:

http://link_removed

Now, I've gotta tell you something. I've seen

dozens of these "get the product free, just pay
for shipping" in the last few months.

Most all of them are pure trash and not even
worth the shipping price. You get some thin
little book packed full of nothing
but fluff and sales messages.

Well, thankfully Mike Masters is
breaking the mold here...

I can honestly say that I'd gladly pay between
100 and 250 bucks for Mike's product and I'd
feel damn good about it.

Yes, it's worth that much...

Luckily Mike is a strong believer
in over-delivering and he's succeeded once again.

Get yours now for free today

http://link_removed

Cheers,

Charles Wellmore
Work at Home Group Chief Editor

P.S. Oh, did I mention that Mike has packed this

with over 250 pages of the most hard-hitting
business training I've seen in months. You'll
literally be walked through each and every step
you must take to build your own six figure business!


http://link_removed

Unparalled Marketing LLC., P.O. Box 52, Winnebago, IL 61088, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://link_removed

Melanie - 6/4/2008 at 05:52 AM

Thanks for that follow up!

That is not the way to run an internet business. :( Makes me mad really. I'm an 'internet marketer' and these people spamming and scamming just make others shy away from legitimate lists and newsletters.

flyingbird65 - 6/4/2008 at 11:51 AM

Whats sad is there are a lot more just like this out there. More so then all the ligitimate ones.

I agree with Melanie, this makes me mad.

Mich - 6/19/2008 at 04:45 AM

More spam from this place:

Flag this message(URGENT) Ice Cream MeltsThursday, June 19, 2008 4:15 AM
From: "Freelance Home Writers" Add sender to Contacts To: "Michelle"

Michelle,

Go here now and learn how
to make hundreds, if not thousands
every single day from home.

And right now you can secure your copy
for free.

But hurry, quantities are very limited (only 79
units left) and these are going faster than ice
cream melts on a hot summer day...

http:lineremoved.
Enjoy,

Charles Wellmore
Work at home tips

Unparalled Marketing LLC., P.O. Box 52, Winnebago, IL 61088, USA

Mich - 6/19/2008 at 04:50 AM

Flag this message(URGENT) Ice Cream MeltsThursday, June 19, 2008 4:15 AM
From: "Freelance Home Writers" [reply@freelance-home-writers.com]Add sender to Contacts To: "Michelle" [michymlj@yahoo.com]


..............................

Okay, when I received the last spam email from them, I clicked on the unsubscribe and was supposed to be unsubbed from them, but then early this morning, I got another spam email.

I will refer back to my original post about FreelanceHomeWriters and this time I am going to call them a scam flat out - their desire is not so much to sell you a program or membership to a forum with job listing but rather to get your money and your email address.

One of those they get without even showing you anything on their website.

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE....and don't give them a good email address that you use regularly unless you want spam.

flyingbird65 - 7/2/2008 at 04:17 PM

Its reasons like this I have 4 or 5 email addresses.

3 of them I use regularly for one reason or other. The others I use when checking on a site I'm not sure of. Thankfully I don't do that very often.

m.c.mute - 7/21/2008 at 11:20 AM

While others may be hesitant to call the Freelance Home Writers organization a scam, I received this e-mail today:

Dear 123Greetings user,

Recently you requested information to work at home... Based upon your
profile we have hand picked you for this work at home job. Out of
20,000 applications you were 1 of 25 picked for this job.

We would like to congratulate you for making the right decision
in working with us. You have a 48 hour window to claim your
position before we fill it with the next in que.

Click Here

Regards,

Michael Stathmore
Freelance Home Writers

Of course, I never submitted any sort of application and the e-mail was obviously spam. I usually do not even read these types of spam e-mails, but this one piqued my curiosity a little. The links in the e-mail take you to their site wherein is detailed all that is outlined in the post above. However, since the wording of the initial e-mail states explicitly that a job is being offered rather than a service, I am going to go ahead and call this a rather blatant scam.

Of course there is a silver lining for me here, in that if I had not gone looking for information on the company I never would have found this forum.

Mich - 7/21/2008 at 11:31 AM

Thank you for stopping by! I'm so glad you found us!

Also thank you for adding your post to this thread - This particular thread is one of the most viewed on this forum and it is bringing a lot of new writers here - that's good for many reasons, but the biggest reason is that people might just be warned and not fall for this scammer.

The more I learn about them, the more upset I get.... they have an affiliate program, and that in itself usually lends to spam if it's not monitored.

Hey, welcome to the forum! I hope you'll stick around!

twnkltoz - 7/21/2008 at 12:31 PM

Welcome to the forum, m.c.mute! Thanks for weighing in!

Mich - 7/21/2008 at 12:33 PM

(giggles) Just FYI. No one has to get on a scale in order to be a member of our forum...LOL

Melanie - 7/21/2008 at 12:41 PM

Quote:
No one has to get on a scale in order to be a member of our forum


Thank goodness!!! :269x:

Mich - 7/21/2008 at 12:58 PM

:2088x:

I know, me too! That's why I wanted to clarify (wink)

:EatDamandx:

chaosfairy - 7/21/2008 at 01:42 PM

chinese and chocolate anyone?

Welcome to the Forum!

:22x:

m.c.mute - 7/21/2008 at 07:17 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome! I imagine I will probably stick around. There seems to be a lot of good information here, as well as some smart and talented individuals. Who knows? I may even speak up every now and then.

twnkltoz - 7/21/2008 at 07:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Michelle L Devon (Michy)
(giggles) Just FYI. No one has to get on a scale in order to be a member of our forum...LOL


Then why did you make me get on one??

They've now lowered the price.

cari - 7/21/2008 at 09:33 PM

Boy was I wrong. Instead, once they had my email address (thankfully I use a yahoo address just for testing sites like this one so they can't spam my real email), I was then taken to a screen where I was told that TODAY ONLY! I could get my membership from them not at the high 99.95 they usually charge, but for only 49.95!!!!

When you go on the site it's the same info except now it says instead of $69.95, now it's only $2.95!!!!! I'm sorry but this is just crazy to me.
:seahorsea:

Melanie - 7/21/2008 at 09:58 PM

That is crazy!

And welcome Cari!

Mich - 7/22/2008 at 01:45 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by twnkltoz
Quote:
Originally posted by Michelle L Devon (Michy)
(giggles) Just FYI. No one has to get on a scale in order to be a member of our forum...LOL


Then why did you make me get on one??


For kicks.

Mich - 7/22/2008 at 01:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by cari
Boy was I wrong. Instead, once they had my email address (thankfully I use a yahoo address just for testing sites like this one so they can't spam my real email), I was then taken to a screen where I was told that TODAY ONLY! I could get my membership from them not at the high 99.95 they usually charge, but for only 49.95!!!!

When you go on the site it's the same info except now it says instead of $69.95, now it's only $2.95!!!!! I'm sorry but this is just crazy to me.
:seahorsea:


Yeah, but if you read the very fine print the 2.95 is a 'trial' and then after a certain time they bill your credit card for the full amount.

I would be terrified to give these people my credit card at this point - can you imagine?

Hey, welcome to the board! Thanks for popping in!

Mich - 8/3/2008 at 06:32 PM

This was in my son's email today - TWICE. My fourteen year old son, who has never requested work from home opportunities before:

Hello aleck,

Recently you requested information to work at home... Based upon your
profile we have hand picked you for this work at home job. Out of
20,000 applications you were 1 of 25 picked for this job.

Click Here To Start

We would like to congratulate you for making the right decision
in working with us. You have a 48 hour window to claim your
position before we fill it with the next in que

Click Here To Claim Your Position


Regards,

Michael Strathmore
Freelance Home Writers





To Unsubscribe From Further Mailings Click Here

20816 S Dixie Highway Suite #135
Miami FL 33189

cwilson26 - 8/3/2008 at 10:08 PM

I got an email like that too in my yahoo email. I checked it out and you have to pay so I closed it off and deleted the email. I have gotten more than one from them. Weird!

Mich - 8/3/2008 at 10:12 PM

Spammer AND scammer.

Xzendor7 - 8/4/2008 at 05:19 PM

I just received an email about this program and doing a Goggle search about this program came across your Forum. Thanks for the info; I also read your Free Lance Tips, great info for the us newbies.

Thank You!

snowangelcold - 8/6/2008 at 04:08 PM

I just recieved this e-mail today. I checked it out and decided to investigate when they were asking me for money without showing me anything! That is how I found your blog. I am interested in writing and am so tired of getting scammed! I will probably be popping in quite often!:thumbup:

moonshadow68 - 8/6/2008 at 06:17 PM

LOOKY Michy!!

All those times they spammed you and the board resulted in new cool people for us:thumbup:

Mich - 8/6/2008 at 06:25 PM

Cindy, do you know what I find the most hilarious?

When you type freelancehomewriters.com into google, my forum comes up first - BEFORE freelancehomewriters.com does!

moonshadow68 - 8/6/2008 at 07:21 PM

hehehehehehehe....

That's great. You know what else it means? We get the smart ones who checked them out first...lucky us!

Skwerly - 8/6/2008 at 07:41 PM

LOL Michy, that is comedy! Pretty cool, too!

:cool rsvd:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

Linc - 8/8/2008 at 11:33 AM

I just have to say thank you again, unfortunately I made it past the "give me your email so I can fill your inbox with spam" part. You know these guys are getting better, or I am poorer, because I never used to be tempted to even look at those. It sis seem fishy though to ask me to pay them so that I could make them money and get a small cut of it, I guess you have to pay your affiliates.

Anyway, thanks again for having such an informative site.

;) Linc

bbrannan - 8/8/2008 at 11:50 AM

Yep, me too. Of course, I'm on so many Email lists and so many spammy things (because I can't help but look) that one more doesn't much matter I guess. Anyway, welcome aboard. I just joined a couple days ago, same reason as you, found it the same way you did, and I'm unbelievably glad I did! This is a super duper bunch of people off in here. Love you guys :) There are so! many fun threads on here. Check out the dialects thread if you don't believe me. And tell us about yourself in the intro forum if you wanna.

michaelw777 - 9/8/2008 at 12:22 PM

I want to thank you Michy, for your site. This looks like a good place to learn and connect.

I guess I have to thank freelancehomewriters for leading me to you: they sounded too good to be true. But it'll be pretty faint thanks...

chaosfairy - 9/8/2008 at 05:12 PM

Careful Michy, FLHW.com may want you to start paying them royalties for all the members you get from people researching them!

:angel21:

Mich - 9/8/2008 at 05:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by michaelw777
I want to thank you Michy, for your site. This looks like a good place to learn and connect.

I guess I have to thank freelancehomewriters for leading me to you: they sounded too good to be true. But it'll be pretty faint thanks...


Michael, welcome! I'm glad you found us, and even more glad you didn't get suckered in by them.

Don't take the fact that this one place is scam-like to mean that freelance writing and working from home is. Many of us on the board here work from home and make decent to very good livings doing it.

You can too, just not through them!

Welcome again! Hope you stick around!

Morecoffee - 9/8/2008 at 08:06 PM

:133x: Hey look at all the new members. It really is hilarious how many people are being sent our way because of these scammers. We're glad you all found us!

Garret - 9/10/2008 at 01:35 AM

Hi. I received this advertisement telling me I could make a lot of money, and I come here and like the Mailman in Monty Python I find myself with quite a few other mailmen in this post room. So, I guess I'm not going to get rich posting on the internet now...Ah...shucks...
But it looked pretty cool here, and you seem like a level headed bunch, so I guess I'll come check you out from time to time.
Anyone have any good idea's then, about how I can get rich writing on the internet...:munchyx:

Mich - 9/10/2008 at 11:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Garret
Hi. I received this advertisement telling me I could make a lot of money, and I come here and like the Mailman in Monty Python I find myself with quite a few other mailmen in this post room. So, I guess I'm not going to get rich posting on the internet now...Ah...shucks...
But it looked pretty cool here, and you seem like a level headed bunch, so I guess I'll come check you out from time to time.
Anyone have any good idea's then, about how I can get rich writing on the internet...:munchyx:


Sure, stick around here and we'll tell you!

Many freelance writers, writing only from internet contacts, are making 5 and 6 figure incomes. I post paying jobs right here on the board.

You can write for places like Associated Content, Suite101, Helium, DailyArticle, Constant Content, and bid at places like Elance and oDesk and others.

Stick around and holler at us with questions, and we can help you find REAL money on the internet, where you don't pay anyone but they pay you!

Welcome to the board!

jazz_sue - 10/12/2008 at 06:57 AM

I actually joined his rather superb site all of, ohh ... 3 minutes ago, on the strength of this one post! This forum appeared, along with quite a few others of similar content, when I Googled FLHW. In my case it was to claim money back they'd taken without asking - interesting.

Here's my story:

I've had to give up my previous career due to health problems, but I'm a skilled writer - just lacking the necessary experience, in particular that 'Catch 22' published portfolio. At present, my sole income is from incapacity benefit, so I'm very wary of scams. What I DO know is, if you have the skills - and are prepared to work hard - you CAN use your computer to ean a sensible income working from home.

With this in mind, I trawled the internet and contacted various 'legit' sites for details on scam-free homeworking schemes.

The one I was instantly referred to, over and over, in my emails was FLHM - in my naivety, I didn't stop to wonder if these 'anti-scam' sites might not be run by the very company they were promoting, but still ... I joined.

I'm British, by the way. At the time, the on-site offer was a joining fee of just $2.95 (about £1.75) - for the next 7 days. Now, I took this to mean that, after 7 days, the cost would rise to nearly $50, so I signed up. The amount was duly taken from my Visa account some weeks ago.

I swiftly found that their promise that 'anyone can start earning money from writing, even if you have no previous experience,' just did not ring true. The only jobs worth bidding for demanded, in the first instance, that you submit examples of previously published work - hardly a 'beginners' site. Also, there was more outlay involved - you often had to pay a membership to these sites, before your work would even be considered.

Bells started ringing. These were not accredited professional journalism sites (I accept that professional writing is a bit of a 'closed shop' in my country) but on-line 'publishing companies' I'd never heard of! I now realise these were, likely as not, FLHW.scam in another guise.

I swiftly got the message that this was not what I'd been looking for in any case; I'd wanted to find a straight-forward writers' site where I could send examples of my work to prospective employers in the hope they would pay me to do more. I did my best to earn back my £1.75, concentrating on 'free' traders where no further outlay was involved. But every time I went to bid (and without a portfolio this was inevitably 'blog' work which, I've since discovered, is best avoided by serious career writers) the bids were either already closed or so many had got there before me it wasn't worth proceeding. My email to the moderators, asking for advice on how I could get that coveted published portfolio when I couldn't GET published until I had said portfolio to hand ... went unanswered.

I gave it up as a lost cause. I almost gave up any hope of writing for a living, as well - except I've since found an excellent site in Helium which will, hopefully, give me the coveted published posts I need to (gulp!) further my career by extending my services to elance - who despite their high profile professionalism (double gulp!) DON'T demand money up front.

But here's the big scam.
Today, several weeks after I last signed in to FLHW.scam, I went online to check my bank account - I had insufficient funds to pay a phone bill, which seemed odd.

FreelanceHomewriters had got there first, taking the equivalent of nearly $50 from my account, without so much as a courtesy mail to warn me or give me the chance to decline their kind 'offer.'

I'm about to try and get it back - with a few reasons as to why. Don't hold out much hope, though. It involves emailing their bosss, see.

As you say, 'kosher' online writing agencies don't need to make sneaky charges like this. They don't have to. I was ripped off, good and proper. They might not come across as a scam site in the first instance, but there are much better places out there to pay your commissions to. Me? I'm sending this to Writers Forum magazine as a cautionary tale. With any luck, I'll get paid for it. If not, I'll try Moneymail - at least I'll see my work in print!

Mich - 10/12/2008 at 09:39 AM

Jazz_sue, thank you so much for sharing your story with us so others might be benefited from it. I have found from others I've talked to that getting your money back is a difficult process, in spite of the 100% money back guarantee they claim to offer.

If you browse around here a bit, you'll see we have a thread for Helium and several other Helium writers who would happily offer you some page views and reading and critiquing of your work over there to help you be as successful as you want!

There are other opportunities in the paying writing gigs as well... if you have any questions, please ask! We'd love for you to stick around!

Skwerly - 10/12/2008 at 12:37 PM

I find it extremely funny that ONE company's attempt to bend people over is bringing the would-be victims HERE! Goes to show what a small group of good people can do, Michelle!

Welcome, new members, to our little community. Like David vs Goliath, we may be small but we have the ability to strike quite vigorously, and where it counts. The big scammer companies may have money on their side, but I'm finding it usually isn't accompanied by much intelligence, something that abounds on this site!

To Accentuate, and fighting the good fight!

:2140x:

jazz_sue - 10/13/2008 at 12:35 PM

I had a narrow escape today. Based on what I'd learned about this company and its so-called 'no risk trial offer' I double checked another that I'd trialed a few days back - this was to expose scam survey companies for an article I'm writing, so I knew it'd cost me a few bucks. Not an area for a 'green' newbie to get involved with, obviously, because sure enough, they were about to deduct nearly $40 from my account ('7 days is plenty of time to give it a trial run, after which we will deduct a one-off lifetime payment of just $39.99 from your account.') No way, incidentally, of cancelling said agreement - interesting, that. As was the fact my email to their customer services team went undelivered.

Hmmm.

Yep, that bank account is now well and truly closed - at great inconvenience to myself, I may add. Still, at least I wasn't 'scammed' twice over.

Home Survey Workers is well mentioned in the consumer press, FLHW less so. See below.

It appears that this site is overstocked with HSW complaints, but has yet to kick off in our direction. Who will be the first to oblige? (I think our Mighty Moderatoress might enjoy this!):


http://www.complaintsboard.com/suspicious-companies/freelance-homew...

Mich - 10/13/2008 at 12:43 PM

The problem is, I really can't DO anything about it since I never really DID any 'business' with them... I simply reported on what I observed from the outside and shared what I've heard from others.... I think to file a report, one really need to have actually had financial dealings with them.

Though I will look into offering them a link here to see what's being said.

jazz_sue - 10/13/2008 at 06:51 PM

Did I say I got ripped off, to the tune of $50?

I may have been a twit, but ... oh, I am sooo going to enjoy this!

Mich - 10/13/2008 at 06:53 PM

Please, do keep us posted.... I'd love to see them go down!

jazz_sue - 10/14/2008 at 02:05 PM

Hi again. Thought you'd like to know, I posted my complaint (sorry about all the typos and the fact the complainant is, apparently, the MD of the same company they're complaining about!)

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/freelancehomewriterscom-c...

moonshadow68 - 10/14/2008 at 02:10 PM

Nice post, Jazz_Sue...i hope you can get your money back...

jazz_sue - 10/14/2008 at 02:25 PM

The words tip, of, and iceberg spring to mind:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchresults.asp?q5=Freelance%20Homewr...

pen donegal - 10/24/2008 at 10:57 AM

Hi~ I'm new here. I want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences with FLHW. I am going to be relocating overseas for a time to do some writing and was looking for a way to support myself from my writing since I'll be in a rather remote area.
I received their email invitation in my inbox so I checked them out to see if there are any claims against them--and found your site. Imagine my feeling of good fortune to see a community of writers, all with the same goal of encouraging the writing craft and one another.
I believe in destiny and sowing good into the lives of other people. I can envision great good resulting from the efforts of all the goodfolk here. I've always believed that you get what you want when you help enough other people get what they want. Many thanks for a great site.

Mich - 10/24/2008 at 11:09 AM

Welcome! Feel free to explore and post and chat around with everyone - it's just an awesome group of people here!

I too live with a philosophy that you are what you help others become, so if you want to be successful, you simply help others find success.

the universe takes care of the rest.

Again, welcome! Let me know if you need anything!

Mr. Knozit - 10/30/2008 at 04:26 PM

Hi Michy!

Yet another new member here who showed up because of the FLHW scam.

I was tempted as many were to sign up for the 7-day trial but saw the monthly cost was $47. That explains all the folks getting charged $49.95 immediately.

I have been burned by this kind of "SPAMinal" before and immediately felt my tail tingle (Just like Verne in Over The Hedge.) Anyway, this little turtle tucked his head and his wallet back into his shell to pursue more legitimate avenues of writing for profit.

"Fool me once, shame on me! Fool me twice, I'm comin' to get you!"

Anyway, great forum. Great bunch of folks look forward to getting to know y'all.

Mr. Knozit

LaurieM - 10/30/2008 at 06:31 PM

LOL, this is our gain, all these new people who keep finding us this way. Welcome to the forum! Kind of nice to know there are a few less victims to these endless online scams.

Mich - 10/30/2008 at 07:25 PM

Welcome Mr. Knozit!

I'm glad their loss is our gain! Please, have a lookee around and jump right in! We're glad to have you!

Mr. Knozit - 10/30/2008 at 10:23 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome Laurie and Michy. I look forward to my involvement here. I am hoping to learn from all you pros!

I am a retired EDI (electronic data interchange) consultant who wrote really boring, technical assessments and software training guides, so I am looking to spend my time writing in a more enjoyable mode.

I've started messing around on Squidoo to start flexing my brain a bit and figure that it is a pretty good way to do some writing calisthenics. The whole Web 2.0 surge is pretty amazing, especially how it pertains to marketing opportunities.

Thanks again for the nice welcome!

jazz_sue - 10/31/2008 at 08:49 AM

I've just crashed, trying to set up my fitness home page there - and it was good stuff too. I'd just wrapped it all up with a couple of lines on exactly how our bodies are 4000 years out of date, then had to recommend up to 5 of their bloody books from Amazon. Did somthing wrong, and got a 'page expired' - couldn't retrieve what I'd lost. Memo to self: COPY AND PASTE EVERYTHING I TYPE INTO WORD DOC BEFORE HITTING ANY UNFAMILIAR BUTTONS.

I'm a real newbie at all this, because I kept getting jobs to bid for in copywriting/data inputting, and kept turning them down because I had to be familiar with 'Squidoo lenses" and I thought it was some kind of complicated IT gadget to make PhotoShop more interesting.

professional

DAldridge - 12/27/2008 at 08:07 AM

I got the email just this week, and I knew I had seen them here, so I came back to check. I was immediately turned off by the flashy site anyway. I never got to the part where you have to pay.

Protection from sites like FHW

tunghoy - 1/1/2009 at 02:07 PM

I see this thread was started almost a year ago, but I just clicked a link to FHW, having seen it for the first time, on Craig's List. A Google search brought me here.

Indeed, the site didn't pass the smell test -- no need for me to rehash the warning signs already discussed here.

The reason I'm posting is to suggest three techniques I use when investigating or trying something like FHW:

  1. When registering for real on a site, I use a throwaway account from Yahoo or Gmail. I have several of these and will check them about twice a month, usually to delete everything.

  2. When investigating something I don't even want in a throwaway account, I use an address from mailinator.com. No need to register, just enter any address@mailinator.com. Then go to mailinator.com to see if you received anything. Note that mailinator is only for receiving, not sending, so it's a spam bucket, not a spamming tool. Just keep in mind that anyone can check any account there. It isn't meant to be secure.

  3. If I do make a purchase, but am unsure whether I want to trust a site, I don't use a regular credit card, and certainly not a debit card. I'll use one of those pre-paid credit cards you can get at most convenience and drug stores. That way, the site doesn't know my real identity, and I can't possibly lose more than the $30 or $50 I paid for the card.


Have a happy and safe new year.

Eric H20 - 1/12/2009 at 03:15 PM

I'm grateful, actually. I just found you because of the e-scam. There is always good in the bad, to me. They have my email, but they sort of grow on trees, don't they?

Thanks, looking forward to getting to know you all.

Mich - 1/12/2009 at 09:40 PM

Hi there! I'm grateful you've found us too! Sorry they got your email, but so glad to have you here with us!

Hope you'll stay!

mrs rehman - 1/23/2009 at 08:41 AM

Hi there !
Can i just say first of all what a wonderfull site this is, and secondly that i only wish i had seen this before i handed my credit card details over to freelance home writers dot com.
I bumped into them when googleing work from home options and was suckerd in by all the talk of possability.
I did some research and googled them and scams together BUT it never ocoured to me that the very people writing scam reports would be the people i was checking out, so so foolish.
Anyway i paid for the trial membership and actualy the site was quite informative however i was concerned about the up and comming $47 charge then they offerd me a fantastic deal i could change to vip membership and get the next three months free and a monthly fee of $9.95 thereafter fantastic so i aggreed, oh so foolish.
three days later my credit card company called to say i was overdrawn by £67 courtesy of FLHW and when i tried to log on to ask why they had taken my money without my permision and without reason i found that my login details nolonger existed and when i tried to call "I'm sorry the number you have dialed has not been recognised" . so so so foolish.
i hope this helps to discourage anyone from giving these people thier details

jazz_sue - 2/7/2009 at 06:00 AM

Just catching up with all the writing sites I belong to - found this link at Helium (with a star next to it, which seems to indicate they've given the thumbs up, although it's probably just a crafty marketing ploy)
http://www.homefreelancewriters.info/index.php?cc=cntimg300x2

Still up to their old tricks, eh? Maybe someone should notify the authorities at this point ...

Thanx!

AaronNDHouse - 2/8/2009 at 09:08 AM

Dear Michy,
I just wanted to take the time too register, log-on, and thank you for your info on Freelancehomewriters.com! I came very close to signing on for there 7 day $2.95 trial which probably would have turned into $47.00 a mth. without me knowing it!

I'm very interested in writing like that for co. online due to the loss of wages @ my co. anyway thank you so much for saving me the money and aggrivation!

Aaron N.D. House

andisaid - 2/8/2009 at 09:15 AM

Welcome, Aaron.

Why not do an introduce yourself post so we can get to know you. We are a friendly group!

Honeyman - 2/9/2009 at 01:26 PM

Hi and thanks for existing! You won't believe how creative these guys have gotten. Or sneaky, depending on whether they got your money or just your time...

In our Sunday paper, there was an employment ad from an entity seeking writers. The address for responses is WriterNow.org. With a .org suffix, wouldn't YOU think it's on the up-n-up? I'm sorry to say that I did get past the email portion, but as soon as a dollar figure showed up, I knew it was suspect.

Like so many others, though, silver lining - when I Googled "Charles Wellborn" (or whatever his name is, I've already forgotten), I discovered this site.

Lovely to meet you all.

charlotte

tanyakaterina - 2/9/2009 at 01:54 PM

Lovely to meet you, too, Charlotte!

There are any number of writing leads and a great support system of writers here, no purse strings attached. Hope to get to know you and your writing better. =)

Witchmojo - 2/13/2009 at 12:07 PM

Just to say thanks because you saved my bacon too ;)

Sadly, these ijits have my email but they go straight to spam so what the hey, it's all cool. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to have a wander around the site and see what it has to offer :thumbup:

BenE. - 2/13/2009 at 02:33 PM

Welcome, Witchmojo! I hope you enjoy your stay. This place is amazing! :)

Blackrosebugg - 2/15/2009 at 01:01 AM

Please chalk up yet another new member who arrived here via the FLHW spamwagon. But their approach to me was different than what I have read here. I responded to an "iffy" ad on Craig's List, using our newly created 'spamcatcher' email account...and this was the reply I got.

Hello [Hubbyname]

Thank you for your interest in this position.

Here is a little about the company and the position. We are a growing company that was started by two friends who were not satisfied with the life their 9-5 jobs were giving them. This is a legitimate offer for self-motivated people wanting to earn some extra income.

You have the flexibility to work WHEN you want and HOW MUCH you want and therefore dictate how much revenue you earn. You can even work just evenings and weekends. This is a great way to earn income for stay at home moms, dads, college students, to pay off credit card debt, or just supplement your existing income.

Position Description: Your responsibilities will involve processing responses from online ads (this process is fully covered in the step-by-step training.) You may choose to work part-time or full-time, and earn One Thousand To Three Thousand Dollars per week. You DO NOT have to contact anyone by phone. All you need is a computer with a valid e-mail address and basic typing skills. Each ad takes approx. 15-20 minutes to process - you will have a virtually unlimited amount of ads so you may work as much as you want and at the time you choose. There is no contract to sign and the amount of work you choose to do is up to you. This opportunity has unlimited possibilities - a perfect option for stay at home moms or dads, college students or anyone who wants their work to revolve around their life, and not the other way around.

Compensation:
You will be paid Twenty Five to Thirty Five Dollars for each ad that you process, depending on the ad you choose.Payments will be made directly to you. The typical rep will make Sixty To Eighty Dollars with at least 2-3 hours of work.

Method of Payment:
You will receive payment for each ad you process. You are paid for each ad you process as soon as you process it - you can choose to receive payment after each ad through check, or have the payments auto deposited bi-weekly. The amount of money you make depends on how much time you choose to put into it.

Training:
The training materials you will receive give you step-by-step instructions on how to get started. You may begin working the same day you receive your materials because everything is done online. You could get paid within an hour or two of receiving the training manual. There is no special software requirement; everything is done via the web.

We look forward to getting you started. Inquire further!

A link followed, which I copy pasted into a new browser - and it took me to that same green professional looking page others have described. I almost surrendered to the desire to enter my email, then a red flag descended and I googled the company. Sure enough- that led me here.

The subject line was: This is in regards to the CareerBuilders job you applied for.

Google Careerbuilders and you get pages of complaints about their spamming practices, although it looks as though there was, at one time, an attempt at a legitimate employment site underneath.

Longwinded explanation of why I am here, and truly glad to have found this apparently sane island in a sea of spam and broken dreams.

caribbeanmuse - 2/15/2009 at 10:32 AM

welcome and nice to have you here Rose! you might want to go to the Introduce Yourself thread so everyone can welcome you.

Mich - 2/15/2009 at 07:32 PM

Welcome! Glad you found us and found the truth of FLHW. Thank you also for sharing your experience so others can keep up with the ever-changing schemes these scammers are using to rope in writers with dreams.

There is REAL money to be made freelancing - but it's not through FLHW!

Hope you'll stick around - we'd love to have you!

Blackrosebugg - 2/15/2009 at 08:39 PM

Thank you both. If one person escapes their insidious trap after reading my post, I will have 'paid back' my own narrow escape. Thank you, Michy, for this forum as well. Incredible place!

ng66 - 2/22/2009 at 03:12 PM

Just wanted to say THANKS! I was one click away from taking them up on their $2.95 trial offer and am so absolutely glad I decided to see what other people were saying about them first. At this moment of my life, when I am actually considering finding a 2nd job to do at night, I can't afford any scammers taking what little pennies I have left! Thanks, guys, for saving me $$ and stress...

Now I'm gonna go explore your site! Looks like there's lots to do and see!


THANKS AGAIN!!

Thanks for your site

renea56 - 2/25/2009 at 12:09 PM

Hi there! I just joined this board based solely on the value I found in the information provided about freelancehomewriters dot com. And after reading everything here combined with my experience, I can say that they definitely operate like a scam site. I got the information about them via a job posting on the website freelancejopopenings dot com. Here is the ad:

Article Writer Posted Feb 24
IIMedia, New York, NY

My company is seeking 15 writers to produce articles and blog posts for our network of websites.

We are rapidly expanding our online presence and will need writers who can:

*Write clearly on a given topic, at the specified length.
*Perform their own research online with Google News, Wikipedia, etc.
*Meet deadlines.

Please send letters of interest via email.

Thanks,
John Sanderson
email address removed

TO APPLY
E-mail: email address removed

As someone looking to turn writing into more of a career, I am always looking for interesting sounding opportunities. I sent an email and was referred to the freelancehomewriters website. Here is the email I received:

Thank you for your interest in our writer position.

In order to move forward you must fill out an application on our website.

Simply visit your personal application link below and complete your application.

Your application link:
link removed

This link will only be active for the next 12 hours, so please
complete your application as soon as possible or you will need to
request another link.

link removed


Sincerely,

John Sanderson
Human Resources
IIMedia

This took me to the website that is the subject of this thread. It looked shady so I stopped there and immediately did a google search for the website. This thread was the second result after the actual website. Thanks so much for doing the research on these people and I look forward to participating in this site.

:Waiter0298x:

Mich - 2/25/2009 at 12:26 PM

Thanks for sharing your story too so others can see the unscrupulous variations this company is taking to rope in unsuspecting freelancers!

Hope you'll stick around and get to know us! Pop on over and introduce yourself!

mellowmark - 3/6/2009 at 06:29 PM

What an interesting thread. I stumbled upon it purely by chance, as I was looking for article writers to write content for a new web site (rather than to write articles myself) and I came across Freelance Home Workers. Luckily I put in a fake email address just to see what the next page led to and was surprised as a rabbit in headlights to see that they wanted to charge people a membership fee just to gain access!
That led me to do a little bit of googling in the name of research which led me here. :)

I also found this site: http://contentcurrent.com/faq#writer_aw which seems to be free to join but does not clarify what you will be paid! Anyone used that one?

By the way googling Unparalled Marketing LLC shows a lot of complaints about them on rip off report!
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla...

And a whole bunch for freelance home writers freelancehomewriters.com
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla...

If you get any more spam from them complain to their webhost and email provider if you can find them :
http://whois.domaintools.com/freelancehomewriters.com


Anyway, just to say you have a nice friendly forum here so I am going to have a look around. :)

Kind regards,

Mark

If it smells like a scam...

NMac - 3/10/2009 at 12:08 PM

I am looking particularly for a job in editing and/or writing. Last night, I applied to five different CraigsList.com job ads. Today, I received the following email:


Hello Nicole

Thank you for your interest in this position.

Here is a little about our company that works with thousands of job
employers. We are a growing company that was started by two friends
who were not satisfied with the life their 9 to 5 jobs were giving them.
This is a l e g i t i m a t e offer for self motivated people wanting to
e a r n some e x t r a i n c o m e.

You have the flexibility to w o r k When you want and How Much
you want and therefore dictate how much i n c o m e you e a r n.
You can even work just evenings and weekends. This is a great way to
e a r n i n c o m e for s t a y a t h o m e m o m s, d a d s, c o l l e g e
s t u d e n t s, to p a y off c r e d it c a r d d e b t, or just s u p p l e m e n t
your existing i n c o m e.

Position Description: Your responsibilities will involve processing
responses from online ads (this process is fully covered in the
step-by-step training.) You may choose to work part time or
full time, and e a r n One Thousand To Three Thousand D o l l a r s
per week. You D O N O T have to contact anyone by phone. All you
need is a computer with a valid email address and basic typing skills. Each
ad takes approx. 15 to 20 minutes to process - you will have a virtually
unlimited amount of ads so you may work as much as you want and at the
time you choose. There is no contract to sign and the amount of work you
choose to do is up to you. This opportunity has unlimited possibilities - a
perfect option for s t a y a t h o m e m o m s or d a d s, c o l l e g e
s t u d e n t s or anyone who wants their work to revolve around their life,
and not the other way around.

Compensation:
You will be p a i d Twenty Five to Thirty Five D o l l a r s for each ad
that you process, depending on the ad you choose. P a y m e n t s will be
made directly to you. The typical rep will make Sixty To Eighty D o l l a r s
with at least 2 to 3 hours of w o r k.

Method of P a y m e n t:
You will receive p a y m e n t for each ad you process. You are p a i d for
each ad you process as soon as you process it - you can choose to
receive p a y m e n t after each ad through check, or have the payments
auto deposited bi-weekly. The amount of m o n e y you make depends on
how much time you choose to put into it.

Training:
The training materials you will receive give you step-by-step
instructions on how to get started. You may begin working the same
day you receive your materials because everything is done online.
You could get p a i d within an hour or two of receiving the training
manual. There is no special software requirement; everything is
done via the web.

We look forward to getting you started. Inquire further.

Follow This Link To Apply Now






-------------------
You received this offer after "Opting In" to our list at
03/09/2009 10:03 PM
with ip address
99.182.108.65

If you wish to Opt-Out from further emails, or received this erroneously,
please unsubscribe at the
link below.

Federal-CAN-SPAM-Act of 2003
unsubscribe at the link below
unsubscribe from this list, or unsubscribe from all lists
or

To Unsubscribe via U.S. Mail please send all inquiries to:
20816 S Dixie Highway
Suite #135
Miami FL 33189




I didn't see a name for the company, which immediately got my attention. I copy and pasted the address at the bottom into Google and it came up with multiple listings saying that this was a scam from FreelanceHomeWriters.com. I found this forum in the list. Like I said, I applied to five jobs, so I am not sure which ad was the fake one that gave these people my information. At any rate, I am very glad that doing a Google search is just so easy. They didn't fool me!

Andylikesit - 5/5/2009 at 10:00 AM

Have to agree with what was said here the monthly charge for Freelance home writers ruins and form of credibility they could have salvaged. Use the resources on this site and sites like it to find real freelance work.

Concepts - 5/5/2009 at 11:07 AM

95% of websites on the net are here for one reason and one reason only. To get your money and spam you to death with nonsense. Unfortunately gaining information and finding reputable sites for resources has become a minority and far fetched these days.

I learned this the hard way one day when acquiring information from a site that I thought was also legit "as reputable as they may seem, they are not", boy was I wrong and the spam never ended as a result of it.

The people that run these sites are foreign and have no real demeanor at all and I hope these people get what's coming to them in the end.
But as we all know as long as the internet is here the scams will be to. Just remember these websites are not here to help you, they are only here to get your money!

Fortunately for me I know a few well known people I get my info from on here now if i ever need it.

Johnnaris - 6/4/2009 at 03:48 AM


Thanks for sharing. It's great.

simulation credit

Witchmojo - 6/4/2009 at 07:42 AM

^^^ Anyone for spam?

Vanberk12 - 10/1/2009 at 10:50 PM

Yep, that bank account is now well and truly closed - at great inconvenience to myself, I may add. Still, at least I wasn't 'scammed' twice over.

Regards

Vanberk

windair - 10/3/2009 at 01:58 AM


Very nice post here.


wndair
Dossier de surendettement