Shammers and Scammers

The prize for one of the worst white crime activities, should be awarded to the Shammers and Scammers of this world.

Shammers

ill-truths such as selling on the internet with no intention of delivering. They are also con artists who pretend to be someone they are not. Scammers, in the main, use their deception and fraud expertise to attain money from their target. They often approach with a direct message or phone call. When the target doesn’t respond, a different phone number is used.

Overall, there is little to no difference between shammers and scammers. They target the unsuspecting and often without warning such as the hacking and fraudulent use of your bank cards – debit and credit.

They con people for money, break hearts, destroy reputations, and then, walk away feeling proud of themselves. They plot and target innocent people or groups of individuals.

The worst thing about these cowardly individuals or teams thereof, is the fact that they are everywhere – across every sector of business and the broader community. All become vulnerable to the falsehoods they spread.

It is either, they are in it for the money or they just simply, want to cause havoc.

I am a participant in several writer/authors’ online forums. The new writers (newbies) and seasoned writers put forward their current challenges or advise of newly published works.

The newbies can be easy targets. They are entering the writing world for the first time, full of passion and idealism.

They ask questions and in doing so, reveal their status. Enter – the scammers, offering their services and expertise to help the newbie. The scammers entice the uninitiated to exit the site and to direct message (DM) them.

You need to check the bona fide of the potential scammers. Ensuring credentials is vital. I suggest asking to see their website and Google them to check for complaints. That is just a start.

Ask about their experience in working with your chosen genre, turnaround times, connection to publishing companies, their offer of payment plans (if you were to engage them) and, sample edits. Would they, at no cost, provide edits, for example, on the first three chapters so you can gauge their skills?

The other area of disrepute, is the scammers entering the literary market, offering publishing packages which provide editing, formatting, cover design, and publishing. They are flooding Facebook reels with their services. These packages range from as low as AU$199 to AU$499.

Again, check the credentials. The quality at these prices is suspect.