So, the other day I was looking though my interview invitations and was surprised to see one in web programming.
I’m a writer, not a web programmer, but I opened it anyway in case it was someone wanting content who just happened to cross-post a writing job under web programming because it was for the web and some people do do both.
The cover letter opened with an invitation to take part in an “investment opportunity in your country.”
Well that funny robot I inherited from my cousin started screaming “Danger Dave Robinson! Danger!” Over the years I’ve learned to listen to the robot so I took another look. What I saw was the opening to a classic scam.
The basic outline of the letter was that the writer was a financial consultant who had investors who wanted to invest in my country through me. Last I heard that meant they wanted to have me deposit rubber checks for them and funnel the money to their agent over here.
So, what did I do?
I did the same thing you should do. I took a look at the opening and flagged it as inappropriate. Not long after I was told I had not been selected because the job had been removed as inappropriate, and then received an email that my help desk ticket was closed.
It was simple and painless, and only took a few minutes out of my day. It’s not the first time I’ve flagged a job opening and it won’t be the last. Every time I see a scam I flag it. This was the first time I’ve been invited to be a victim of a scam– but I do run across them when I am looking for work.
I hope none of our readers would fall for a scam like this, but my real worry is that some of you might not report them.
It’s easy enough to take the attitude that it’s not your problem, and someone else will report it or maybe even already has, so why should I?
Easy, yes; a good idea, no.
oDesk was set up to be as much a community as a job site. Working on oDesk is about building relationships between buyers and providers as much as it is about looking for work. Being part of a community brings benefits, but also responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to help prevent your fellow community members from being scammed.
There are members who are both buyers and providers. It’s possible that one of those members could fall for a scam as a provider, and then not have the money to post a job that you could have done.
That’s a case where it would hit you personally in the pocketbook. I know it’s unlikely, but it’s possible, and that’s not really the point.
Here’s another way to look at it.
Freelancers tend to be independent. We don’t do the regular nine-to-five routine, and when something goes wrong, we’re the ones to fix it. The best freelancers are self-reliant and proactive, seeing opportunities and taking them.
When you see a scam and report it, you are paying back to the community and forward to anyone who might have been caught by the scam.
Reporting scams and getting rid of scammers is good for oDesk too. The more confidence people have in the system the more they are likely to use it. The more good buyers and providers who use oDesk, the better it is for everyone.
Next time you see a scam: do everyone a favor, and report it.
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