Finding a freelance copywriting and proofreading job can be tough, especially when legitimate opportunities are buried among poor job postings and cheap offers. One seemingly genuine offer looked promising, but after completing a 20-question interview task and submitting 12 pages of answers, several small warning signs started to appear.
Initially, the offer seemed legit. The sender had a real LinkedIn profile, the company had a legitimate website, and the emails were mostly well written. But a closer look at the email address, job title, formatting, and payment instructions revealed what was really happening.
Finding a freelance copywriting and proofreading job shouldn’t be this hard
- Months of searching for a freelance copywriting and proofreading job
- When applying for a freelance copywriting and proofreading job, you’ve got to ensure your correspondence is flawless
- When is a freelance copywriting and proofreading job not a freelance copywriting and proofreading job?
- This is not the freelance copywriting and proofreading job you’re looking for
- Congratulations, you’ve just been scammed
- Another day older, another day wiser
I’ve written before about how tough the freelance copywriting and proofreading job market is. Many posts on freelancing platforms are looking for people to wear several hats. You must not only be an expert in each role, but also be happy working for just over minimum wage. Sifting through that kind of garbage makes it so difficult to find decent gigs. A decent gig doesn’t just mean the client is offering a reasonable rate. It also means you and the client suit each other—which is key to working well together.
While many disagree with me, I’ve also written about how I don’t object to test tasks. That is, as long as I can ensure that’s what they are and not just a way to get free work out of me. I think a potential employer has the right to assess your skills to see if you can do what you say you can. I got my first two long-term gigs by doing short test tasks that proved I could do what I said I could.
But I’ve recently discovered yet another obstacle to finding good remote jobs. And it’s something I didn’t see coming. It’s also something I thought I was too careful to get caught out by. Guess I’ve learned another valuable lesson.
Months of searching for a freelance copywriting and proofreading job
Let’s go back to the end of May. I’d been out of work for about three months, and I wasn’t seeing many opportunities. I reached the second or third round of the interview process with one international client, but it didn’t work out. I’d been spending my time growing my presence in the Korean market. But I needed to find something that brought in some regular money.
And then, a glimmer of hope—a real freelance copywriting job! I got the following email on May 29.
- Personalized greeting with my name spelled correctly. ✅
- Copywriting position. ✅
- Sender exists on LinkedIn. ✅
- Company has a legit website. ✅
It all looked pretty good. There was only one catch—I didn’t actually remember applying for this job. But it was addressed to me, and it was for a copywriting position. And I had been applying to as many jobs as I could find. I’d also signed up for some sites that offered positions on behalf of clients but didn’t state the client’s name. I just figured the offer came from one of those sites.
After replying, they asked me to complete a 20-question questionnaire. That seemed a little excessive for a freelance copywriting and proofreading job. But the questions seemed legit. There was no way they’d be able to use my answers as “free work.” If it got me closer to a paying job, I figured it was worth it.
When applying for a freelance copywriting and proofreading job, you’ve got to ensure your correspondence is flawless
I spent several hours completing the questionnaire. I refined my answers and, of course, meticulously proofread for typos and other errors. In the end, I submitted a 12-page response. I also mentioned that I’d spotted a typo on their “About Us” page that they might want to fix. That showed I’d spent some time looking at their site and that I’m a good proofreader.
Here’s the timeline of events:
- May 26—I received the initial email. I responded, indicating my interest. They sent me the job description.
- May 27—They sent me the 20 interview questions.
- May 28—I returned the 20 interview questions (12 pages in total). They acknowledged receipt, said they’d review my answers, and would be in touch.
- May 29—I thanked them and asked if they required any further information.
- May 30—They asked me for my availability for an online interview. I responded and provided several options.
- May 31—I received the following email:
I replied with the information they requested, including my full name, address and phone number. They could’ve gotten that info from my resume, but why cause trouble?
- June 1—They asked me to confirm my country of residence. I found this odd as well, as my resume clearly indicated I live in Seoul, Korea. The address in my previous email also clearly stated that I lived in Seoul. But I responded to confirm. Again, no point in rocking the boat.
So, in less than a week, I’d been invited to interview, completed the interview task, and was offered the job. It was a full-time position and paid a decent wage. After three long months, it looked like things were finally turning around.
But…
When is a freelance copywriting and proofreading job not a freelance copywriting and proofreading job?
- June 1—No email
- June 2—No email
- June 3—No email
- June 4—I reached out to ask if they required further information, hoping to kickstart the process.
It was around this time that I started re-examining things.
I thought to myself, “Did I miss something?” The name used in the emails was an actual person who worked at the organization (I checked on LinkedIn). The website looked legit. The documents they sent me had letterhead with the same logo used on their website. The address and phone numbers matched. Aside from one odd instruction, the writing was mainly grammatically correct. It certainly wasn’t obviously awkward. Nor was it filled with poor/awkward phrases that are often the hallmark of scams.
The email address wasn’t a generic Gmail address—it was a legit one from the organization. Or was it?
b*************@companynamekiissimee.com
Did you spot what I initially missed? The doubling of the first “i” in Kissimmee and the single “m”? Aside from not remembering applying for the job, that was my first inkling that something wasn’t right. It’s very unlikely an organization based in Kissimmee, Florida would’ve misspelled it in their email address. They didn’t misspell it in their site URL.
Then I looked closer at the job offer I received on May 31. Notice anything odd?
This is not the freelance copywriting and proofreading job you’re looking for
Yeah, the position is written as Freelancer Copywriter (Remote). I should’ve been Freelance Copywriter (Remote)—but I see typos like these every day. Heck, I make them myself sometimes.
But what about the company name and the position being offered being bolded? It’s almost like it was part of a template. Those terms were bold to ensure whoever used that template updated those fields. Looking back at the other communications, I started noticing other things.
For example, after a personalized intro, sometimes the text that followed used different fonts and sizes. That suggested someone had typed the first line, followed by a pasted section of text. Not unheard of, but not a great sign.
The closer I looked, the more “tells” there were. The second-to-last email I received was much shorter and curter than the others. It simply said,
No “please.” Just a directive. Again, in isolation, it didn’t strike me as that odd. But when combined with everything else I was noticing, things started to feel different.
When I got the job offer, I didn’t think much of the 2nd item in this list.
I assumed it was for in-person employees. I’ve seen onboarding materials from a few companies. They’re rarely fully updated or specific to remote employees. I just figured it didn’t apply to me.
Congratulations, you’ve just been scammed
But I searched Google and asked AI if there was anything suspicious about the email. AI mentioned that the 2nd bullet was a pretty common scam. Well, shit.
You’re promised a payment to purchase equipment and cover software expenses. The scammer sends a check or payment to cover these from a “vendor,” and later the payment is reversed. I’m assuming that’s why they moved on from me when they figured out I wasn’t in America. I’m sure it’s much easier to manage that scam in America rather than via international wire transfers.
I sent one last email on June 10. It simply said, “Am I to understand that your employment offer has been rescinded?” I knew it was a scam at this point. I was just hoping to get some closure. Even if the scammer had sent an email along the lines of, “We’ve decided to go in a different direction,” I might still have believed it was a legit offer. But I knew it wasn’t. The fact that I never heard back confirmed it.
Another day older, another day wiser
I get lots of obviously fraudulent offers. Most have very common “tells” that make it obvious it’s a scam.
- Strange email address
- Poor grammer/typos
- Offers that are too good to be true
This one didn’t have any of those. But when I looked closer, the signs were there. It’s really frustrating when you’re already sifting through crappy job postings and finally think you’ve got a legit offer. And you jump through all the hoops, and it turns out to be a scam.
I guess the upside is that I didn’t give out any sensitive personal information. They had my address and phone number, but that info is on my resume. But we never got to the banking details. I guess it could’ve been worse.
This isn’t the only scam job offer I’ve received, but it was the most professional/sophisticated. It didn’t raise any red flags initially. But I’ll be much more wary of any job offers in the future (especially for jobs I don’t remember applying for). At some point I’ll share another story about a fraudulent agency that was a bit easier to spot. It’s been around for a while, targeting writers and proofreaders.
So, to my fellow copywriters, editors, and proofreaders—stay wary. And if you should let your guard down and get caught out like me, know that you’re not alone. Just another shitty hoop we’ve got to jump through as we look for work.
Got a story about being scammed? Share in the comments!
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