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briannabartlett3
Community Member

My writing will be promoting a scam? Need advice please.

I was invited to write two announcements for a man's website. I accepted, but upon further research on the topic to do my writing, I found that both of the announcements are promoting online pyramid schemes. I am unsure of how to continue. Should I write the announcements because the man offering the job isn't technically scamming me? I personally find the idea of promoting a pyramid scam to be... disgusting. But, is that something that would be considered "suspicious activity?" 

2 REPLIES 2
mtngigi
Community Member


Brianna B wrote:

I was invited to write two announcements for a man's website. I accepted, but upon further research on the topic to do my writing, I found that both of the announcements are promoting online pyramid schemes. I am unsure of how to continue. Should I write the announcements because the man offering the job isn't technically scamming me? I personally find the idea of promoting a pyramid scam to be... disgusting. But, is that something that would be considered "suspicious activity?" 


Personally, I wouldn't want to contribute to this person's scheme, even once removed. This is why it's important to get all the particulars before accepting a job. If the content was not mentioned in the RFP, that is what I would use as an excuse to bow out (not that you need an excuse). I would close the contract and tell the client I'm not comfortable with the subject matter. My 2¢.

 

By the way, if you're selling yourself as a writer, you may want to fix the error in the third sentence of your overview.

tlbp
Community Member

You will find yourself in these situations from time to time. A client seems like a good fit for you but turns out not to be. I had a similar situation last year and it did not end well. 🙄

 

Try to get out of the job without telling your client that you find the work morally offensive--you probably won't get great feedback if you tell the client you think he is a scammer. 😉 I'd go with an "It's not you, it's me" approach. 

 

Client, 

After reviewing the specifics of this task, I don't think I'm the best fit to complete the work. I feel you could be better served by a freelancer with more experience in direct response or press release writing. I apologize for taking up your time, but I am sure you will find a suitable replacement here on Upwork. I'm going to close out our contract now. Thank you for the opportunity. 

 

And, in future, once you send a proposal and can see the client's name or other details do some research. If you can't find any information at that stage, then ask questions before accepting the offer.  There are LOTS of writing projects offered on the platform that may be ones you would not be comfortable completing either because of lack of knowledge or other objections. You want to select your clients carefully and only work with those for whom you are a good match. 

 

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