The best emails writers receive are from potential clients expressing an interest in working together. So, when someone who represented themselves to be an individual named “Alice Smith” emailed about a potential project, with a subject line of “Writer Services Needed ASAP,” I, of course, wanted to learn more. Alice Smith said:

Top of the day to you, I am Miss Alice Smith and I am an academic consultant. I am also a sociologist.

I came to your contact from the writers write forum that you are a wonderful writer on science related topics, I would like to engage in your service. I would like to know if you are available to take on jobs at the moment. I need you to help write an Article. Please get back if i can engage in your services and how much you charge per word.

I have already come up with a title for the article and have created an outline to assist you in the writing process. Please reach out to me for further details.

Best regards

Alice Smith

Normally, an opportunity like this might intrigue me, but, alas, I knew from this first message that Alice was going to try to scam me out of some money.

Telltale Signs of a Scam

What tipped me off?

First, the message was not addressed to me by name. It was a generic message sent to many other writers, including most of the membership of the Association of Ghostwriters, I soon learned.

Second, the fact that the assignment was vague was another clue. Many such scams start with a request for an article, often to serve as a handout at an upcoming webinar or workshop.

And, third, the name “Alice Smith” was in a lighter font than the rest of the message, as if the sender had copied and pasted it from a list of aliases.

In other scams, the mention of a condition called Apraxia, where the client can’t communicate verbally and needs to only correspond via email, is another clue. Because of this medical condition, they won’t get on a phone call or Zoom session, they’ll explain, so you can’t confirm their identity. Be forewarned.

Curious, I asked for more details about the assignment and how much science would be required, since I specialize in business. She told me:

Good Morning,

This article should be around 3,000 words The submission deadline date is March 19th, 2026. What would be your rate per word? 

This article is for an audience of students and young professionals aged 14 to 28, and the topic is “Clean Energy & the Future: The Benefits and Risks.” You will be responsible for researching and writing the article, which should be delivered in PDF format (no graphics needed). The content will be fairly basic, written in clear and simple language for a general audience, without in-depth scientific research or expert interviews. There is plenty of material available online to support your research. I don’t have strict tone or style requirements, just make sure it is informative and engaging for the readers.

Outline:

    Introduction: Clean Energy & the Future

    Impact of Clean Energy & the Future
     2.1 Positive Impacts of Clean Energy & the Future
     2.2 Negative Impacts of Clean Energy & the Future

    Types of Clean Energy

    Why Clean Energy Matters for the Next Generation

    Mitigating the Negative Effects of Clean Energy & the Future

    Conclusion

I can make arrangements for a partial or full payment for the proposed budget, and I recommend using a certified bank check as the payment method, Is this acceptable to you? I would like you to know that this article will not be published but it will be translated to other languages and your certification on the article will be highly needed.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,

This time she didn’t even bother signing a name.

Playing Along

I responded that I was interested and when asked for a per-word fee, I quoted $1.50.

She came back and asked if I would accept $1/word, for a total of $3,000, and I accepted, knowing that this was going nowhere.

After providing my mailing address, she told me:

Thank You very much for the discount, How many weeks will it take you to get it done? I will be issuing your certified bank check to you on Monday so we can finish ahead of time.

A few days later, she told me the check should have arrived via FedEx, stating:

Top of the day to you, I will like to confirm the payment you received yesterday via FedEx with Tracking number 37825XXXXXXX

However, there was a misunderstanding regarding the amount. The remitter issued a check for $5500 instead of the $3000 I initially requested. I sincerely apologize for this confusion. Due to personal circumstances, including my illness, I missed reconfirming the correct amount before the check was mailed.

Given this situation, I have decided to proceed with paying you the full article amount and to include additional compensation for the inconvenience caused.

Please go ahead and deposit the check at your bank or via an ATM, and kindly let me know once the deposit has been completed.

Thank you very much for your understanding. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Fraud in My Mailbox

On Monday, I went to my business mailbox and picked up the FedEx mailer, which contained a plain white envelope and a check drawn on a company based in Seattle, Washington, that she had never mentioned. The name on the FedEx account was “Chris” from another part of Washington state.

Fortunately, the check was drawn on a national bank with a local branch, so I took the check in to be evaluated. Almost immediately, the teller confirmed my suspicions: it was fake.

At first glance, it appeared legitimate. It was printed on paper used for many printed checks, had a company name, and account numbers running across the bottom. The format was correct.

However, a closer look by the teller revealed the truth. The security seal at the bottom of the check was invalid. When you apply heat, the image is supposed to vanish, and it didn’t.

Additionally, the bank name was spelled incorrectly.

When she looked up the account, she confirmed that the company existed, but that the account did not. It was a bad check.

Knowing this but intrigued about what would happen next, I went back to my office and told Alice that I had picked up the check and deposited it—exactly what she wanted to hear.

I was curious how long it would be before I’d get a response.

Timing is Everything

Typically, it takes checks over $5,000 up to seven days to clear, the bank told me, so I expected I would hear back from Alice within that window.

Less than 24 hours later, she wrote:

Top of the morning to you, 

Hope all is well with the writing of the project, i would like to ask if you are sending the project in batches before the final PDF? so i can also read it too and see if there is any point i want you to develop or if there is something i want you to remove.

Please, I would like you to get me a Cashier check for the remittance of the balance of the funds. I want you to send the  cashier check via fedex next day delivery service. I want you to remove the fee incurred from the balance of the funds.

I will appreciate it if you can help me get it done today so i can send you the information required to get it done for me.

Regards

My response?

Well, since the check is fraudulent, I will be unable to comply.

And that is how I saved myself the $2,500 she was asking me to return from the overpayment originally made.

How to Block Future Attempts

This is how the scammers get their money. They mail you a fraudulent check in payment for services, often for more than you quoted for the work. As soon as you deposit their check, but before you are alerted by your bank that it has bounced, they request that you send them back the overpayment.

If you proceed to refund the overpayment, you will be out that money.

Plenty of writers have been taken in by this scheme, so don’t be embarrassed if this has happened to you. But keep an eye out for inquiries that have red flags, and if you are ever unsure, take checks to the issuing bank so they can confirm the payment is valid and the money is available. Your bank can’t check the validity of a check drawn on another bank, unfortunately, which is why you have to make contact with the bank named on the check.

Scammers are getting trickier, so be careful out there.