Make Money Writing Articles: Scams To Avoid

Are you looking to make money writing articles online? If you are, you need to be cautious. Unfortunately, there are a number of scams that target this amazing work-at-home opportunity.

One of the many scams you will come across online involves taking your articles and running. This leaves you with hours unpaid. There is a way that you can prevent this from happening to you. For new projects, most legitimate clients will want to start out small, to gauge your writing skills. This may involve getting a $100 project to start with. Be cautious of someone who wants you to do a $1,000 project the first time. You don't have to turn it down, but offer yourself protection. Require a small amount of payment upfront or at the halfway point. If you aren't paid, don't finish the work.

As for what you can do if someone you meet online takes your articles and runs, remember that you retain the rights to your articles. If you were not paid, you still legally own the articles in question. You can use other methods to make money, so that you aren't faced with a total loss. Post them on revenue sharing websites, where you receive a page view bonus. Since the scammer may have already posted your articles online, take the time to rewrite them. Yes, this isn't fair, but it does provide you with protection

There is another approach that you can take that involves taking action. Look for your articles online. If they are saved on your computer, copy two sentences and enter them into a search engine. Find the website and determine who the web-hosting is through. Contact the company. If advertisements are displayed, contact those advertisers. These companies do not always want their names associated with illegally obtain content, so they may require it to be removed or the scammer may have their accounts disabled.

Another scam involves having you pay to get article writing projects. Yes, there are legitimate companies that require you to pay a small monthly fee, like $10, but you shouldn't have to. There are legitimate article writing opportunities online where you are paid to write, not the other way around.

In keeping with paying a fee, bidding websites are a method of finding article writing projects. These websites have projects listed that you can bid on. The buyer will then choose who he or she wants to work with. You are charged a fee for using this website, but it is usually just a percentage of your profits, not always a monthly fee. Websites that offer you protection, such as guaranteeing that you will be paid as long as you completed the work, makes this fee more than worth it.

Getting your personal information and using it for identity theft is another article writing scam that you may find online. Many companies do need your personal information, such as your full name, address, and even your social security number. However, some scammers are trying to capitalize on this. Legitimate revenue sharing websites will ask for your personal information upfront. If you do not know for sure if the website in question is legitimate, ask around online or perform a standard internet search.

As a recap, there are a number of scams that target those looking to make money by writing articles online. With that said, don't let these scams stop you from making money, as writing articles for pay can be and usually is a legitimate work-at-home opportunity.