Beware and Be Safe Out Here on the Internet
This a Neale Sourna page about online, remote, internet writing scammers who conduct false job and employment interviews, joyfully hire you, then steal your money and ruin your financial credit and confidence.
I receive the occasional unknown internet contact for writing jobs or writing positions that are not legitimate, with someone posing as a real contact for a company or individual—usually pretending to be the actual person or an assistant to someone fairly high profile with a searchable and positively documented presence online.
That company or individual is legitimate, with years and a work lifetime of building a reliable profile and reputation, that is being used to SCAM / S C A M / BILK / STEAL / DEFRAUD those wanting to earn an HONEST LIVING, do HONEST WORK, and build their own reliable legitimate career. They even lift their image and attach it to their texts.
Huh. The individual who's been contacting me just did so again this moment, as I edit this, sending me a SKYPE hello with the legitimate woman's image on it. I'm ignoring it, just now. Maybe for a day or two or more. She / He / Whomever is probably checking, with another's smiling photo as their avatar, if I've gotten their slowly sent check, and am ready to run to the bank and deposit it to start their work and get that "$300 advance bonus."
I am not.
And don't you do so, either.
All of this, when I finally processed it as a FAILURE not a WIN initially stressed me so I couldn't sleep well, or think of anything else—yes, humiliation, depression. However, I slept really well last night.
I'm going to post some of what I've had to deal with and learn from so you can too. I will explain and highlight the greater details elsewhere, but will post / link those details to this page when available.
Because as a writer / author / publisher, when someone screws me over for nonpayment or other criminal fraud I can digitally publish ONLINE HERE, EBOOK, OR PRINT COPY about as fast as they can wait for the mail service to deliver me a FAKE CHECK FOR SUPPLIES they expect me to deposit in my bank; so they can make me cry in humiliation while they clap their mitts in glee.
Yes, a jobbing opportunity that seemed logical, mostly, is sending me a check right now, as I write this. "It'll be delayed because of the holiday," I was told.
Cool. More time to go over MY MISTAKES, WHEN I KNEW BETTER, and WAS TRAINED BETTER (all those quarterly corporate training modules we hate to do, but this is why).
In the meanwhile, why they oddly rushed everything: to interview NOW, next day "you're hired!—sign this supposed contract—we'll send you a check". Huh, what the f—. All that hurry then they send a check, not overnight (expensive) but UPS to USPS snail mail.
Whatever, in the meanwhile, it I can publish their secrets worldwide, while they still think I'm their stupid fool. The power of the pen at digital speeds.
Updates / edits to come to this page.
__Neale Sourna (NS)
06 Jan 25
[scams and frauds, scam and fraud, money scams, internet scam, internet scams, phone scam, phone scams, text scam, text scams, employment scams, employment fraud, job scams, job fraud, fake job offer, email scams, scam email, text message scams, real writing jobs scam, scam fraud, fraud scam]
PS: If you keep asking yourself during the process, "Is this a scam?", as it keeps coming to your mind's thoughts, those are RED FLAGS of STOP!
+ CLICK AWAY,
+ DELETE THAT EMAIL,
+ DELETE AND BLOCK SENDER FROM YOUR TEXTS,
+ BLOCK AND REPORT SENDER FROM SKYPE.
==
Oh, and NEVER CLICK ON ANYTHING IN A STRANGE TEXT or EMAIL. If you must, HIGHLIGHT, COPY, and PASTE the link or whatever in another tab, but really DON'T CLICK into their madness and computer codes that might seize and control your equipment (phone and personal computer) you use for BANKING and other private record things.
==
However, if you do DECIDE to press on, at least "slow their roll". Tell them you have an emergency (besides getting yourself clear of them for awhile). Remote workers can have emergency issues with hurt children, water heaters breaking and flooding the floor, furnace issues, a pot burning on the stove, etc. Getting a tension migraine. Getting terribly upset that not everyone is worth your trust at "face value," that not everyone strives to be as good of heart as yourself. Or, perhaps, that someone is more criminally clever than you. Whatever.
If just DISCONNECTING is too hard or rude for you to do, or you're curious to find out more (whether they still just might be real or you're beginning to get a little shark's smile of your own), tell them there's something wrong happening from their side in your connection with their emails or texts. When they say, "No there's not" or "What do you mean?"
Tell them as you type in email or text, "Sorry, my system's having trouble with your connection. Something's corrupted. I'll sign off and wait. Try me back with your regular company email / text connection."
Then CLOSE THE CONNECTION, or software, or just leave it. You can do it. Turn off your phone, get away from your email.
Just like you would with a bad phone connection. You'd hang up, then tell them to call you back for a better connection. The internet is built on phone lines after all, so same underlying issues can happen, digital is not perfect.
This break gives you more time to think of the dangers and realities and to really investigate without being herded like an animal to slaughter, hurried along, praised for your wonderfulness and fine accomplishments, and so carefully blinded from any worried alarms by their pretenses, as your mind makes up false logics to agree and fall in line with their herding, and your heart and feelings gloat that you deserve this high pay or great title they're offering you. Finally, you're getting that break.
A legitimate company or corporate representative would use a SIMPLE (yes, I LET MY logic SKIRT AROUND THIS ONE—don't be me!) ... a SIMPLE EMAIL or TEXT CONNECTION / STANDARD COMPANY EMAIL / TEXT CONNECTION., like:
=First.lastname@company.com
=not something.something.moresomething ("I am so scamming you with business-y confusion. Haha!") that DOES NOT INCLUDE .com, .net, .org depending on the legitimate business organization.
=first.lastname at SKYPE not http://xxxxxx [more below]
Anyone saying, "I'll be sending you a check for $xxxxx.00 for your initial expenses, the $xxx.00 left over is YOUR ADVANCE....." IS SCAMMING YOU.
If a company wants you to have a company supplied computer you'll need to do their work with loaded work software and company connection links, a real company will send you one--not a check.
Imagine and think hard. Who sends a total new and not even seen face to face stranger a check for thousands of dollars? Hm. A fraudulent scammer.
Plus if it's an USA W-2 type job, a real company will do ALL THE INITIAL WORK (I-9, W-4), vetting you, drug test, etc. FOR A NEW EMPLOYEE DOING W2 WORK besides "sign this contract and upload it back to me".
Yes, 1099 freelancer work might have a contract, but the legalese is NEGOTIATED between both parties as equals about what is supplied, what is to be done, by when, for how much, etc. And doesn't include any of the W4 stuff.
I've never understood the supposed "logic" of sending me a check.
So, I googled:
why do scammers send checks to deposit
Google AI's Answer (1st week of Jan 2025):
Scammers send checks to deposit as part of a fraudulent scheme to trick victims into sending them money before the bank discovers the check is fake, exploiting the time it takes for a check to clear and making it appear as if the funds are readily available in the victim's account, even though they are not.
This allows the scammer to receive money from the victim before the bank realizes the check is fraudulent and takes the funds back.
Key points about this scam:
The checks sent by scammers are often counterfeit or stolen, meaning they have no real value.
Scammers frequently send a check for more than what is owed, asking the victim to send back the "extra" money, which is actually their own money.
Banks often make deposited funds available quickly, even if the check is not fully verified, allowing the scammer to get money before the fraud is detected.
If you receive a check from someone you don't know, especially for a large amount, be very wary.
Always verify the legitimacy of the check by contacting the issuing bank directly before depositing it.
Never send money to someone before the deposited check has FULLY CLEARED in your bank account.
If you suspect a scam, report it to your bank and the authorities.
NS: Even if you didn't deposit the check or your bank (yeah! great bankers!) refused the check--REPORT IT.
You should already have access to or get access to your financial credit reports through your bank.
Lock your credit, so no one can review it without you being alerted.
Research your county real estate treasurer's office information and set up alerts to you about anyone trying to SELL your real estate property or home without your knowledge.
Firstname.lastname@company.com
FirstInitial.lastname@company.com
not First.lastname@otherstuff.company.com
not
=first.lastname at SKYPE not http://xxxxxx
not realcompany.support.
not
something.something.moresomething ("I am so scamming you with business-y confusion. Haha!") that DOES NOT INCLUDE .com, .net, .org depending on the legitimate business organization.
Xxxx.
That niggling concern in your gut, or those stray thoughts of "Hm, that's seems odd / funny," or your better sense and better angels protecting you. Stop. And Click Away.
Xxxx.
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Xxxx.
Xxxx.
Neale Sourna resume with story / job links.
Our hardcore main line
[sensuality is R, NC17, X, XXX]
medium and hard erotica / sensual romance / romantic erotica
Our softcore line
[sensuality is PG13, Soft R]
soft erotica / sensual romance / romantic erotica and general fiction
Our nonfiction line
[PG13, R, NC17, X, XXX]
nonfiction
Other projects Neale Sourna has written and have been published beyond PIE.
Copyright 2025 Neale Sourna
Trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved.
PIE: Perception Is Everything(TM)
"Doing for the mind, what the body shouldn't."
"Thoughtful Entertainment You Can FEEL."
CONTACTS
Email: ns @ writing-naked.com
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