Tips and Tricks on How to Avoid Ghostwriting Scams

Many questionable websites that advertise bestselling ghostwriter services have emerged recently. They control the Google AdWords market and display fake information about best-selling authors and book titles.

These businesses copy content from trustworthy websites dedicated to ghostwriting, fraudulently claim to be affiliated with reputable organizations and even steal client testimonials and ghostwriter biographies for their use.

These companies often seem legitimate, but it’s the opposite of that. To save hard-earned money, you need to know how to avoid ghostwriting scams.

In this blog, we’ll help you learn the tips to identify these fraudulent companies.

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How Ghostwriting Scams Operate

There are similarities between the text on reputable sites and fraudulent websites. If the clients ask them about the website, they are ready to argue their authenticity with fake claims. They put up a show to look real.

When they sell them their writing service and start working on it, the client gets poor-quality work. The best way how to avoid ghostwriting scams is to ask for a sample before assigning your project to them.

At times, there are no names of editors, employees, or ghostwriters listed on the website. Publishing-related businesses shouldn’t have any trouble naming at least some of the book editors and ghostwriters who make up their editorial staff.

If the client receives writing of such bad quality in the first round of work from the provider, they eventually contact the company with numerous text messages and emails. As the companies ghost them, they discover that they have been scammed.

Then, to save their money, the only way is to charge on the credit card. On doing that, the client might receive their entire purchase. If someone is not lucky enough to get their money back, they should leave a review on different platforms.

Here are a few tips on how to avoid ghostwriting scams:

Carbon-Copied Testimonials

Numerous websites advertising publishing, writing, or ghostwriting services don’t live up to their promises. There are many cases that go to famous writing companies during or after being conned by these frauds.

The websites of fraudulent ghostwriting agencies showcase many notable books. This is the first red flag that you can spot. That is because ghostwriting agencies sign agreements of confidentiality. Therefore, they are not allowed to display the work they have done. To confirm that writers are working on their projects, potential authors often contact the ghostwriter. That gives them an idea that their project is in the right hands.

False Bios

If you want to know how to avoid ghostwriting scams, stop believing in the interesting lengthy bios of successful ghostwriters. False agency’s website suggests that they are multiple ghostwriters working in their teams and will be assigned to work on the client projects.

They fail to mention that some or all of their bios were illegally copied from other websites without the ghostwriters’ consent. For instance, one ghostwriter discovered this after being approached by a victim who had been duped into believing one of the listed ghostwriters was working on their manuscript.

Delusive Team Descriptions

Sometimes, the website was very thorough. These sites go to great lengths to deceive people. They have numerous picture-less “workers” listed on the page where they feature the names and profiles of their teams. Also, they even use popular professionals of the industry by using their bios on their sites.

However, in reality, they have no connection to these fraudulent businesses. In such cases, if you want to know how to avoid ghostwriting scams, try to verify the profiles they have shared. You can collaborate with the right people throughout the globe in a proper manner by doing proper research.

Electronic Spamming

If you are getting unsolicited marketing texts, someone might be trying to catch you off guard. You should conduct basic research to learn if the site is a scam. If the website uses a plagiarized terms and conditions page or omits the contact email, it can be a scam site.

You will be inundated with marketing messages from those websites as soon as you express any interest in their services in an effort to persuade you to begin. They have the potential to become incredibly aggressive, and they won’t stop unless you block them. Numerous victims have reported receiving as many as 7–10 texts daily.

Endorse Other Services

Before providing proof that writing is being done, many of these sites will take your money and try to upsell you additional editing and marketing services.

Most of the time, you won’t hear back from them, and you’ll then waste hours contacting the website and your credit card company to get your money back. In some cases, they don’t actually run away with your money.

Instead, they will provide you with subpar writing that will not advance your chances of publication after receiving your payment. They frequently outsource the work to authors who are unable or unwilling to communicate directly with the client. Or worse, need more knowledge and publishing experience to produce a high-caliber book.

Also, if you submit any early drafts of your work, such as an overview of your topic, you’ll receive the same stuff back, regurgitated and prepared but without any significant revisions. So, these scammers don’t only strip off your money; they affect your mental health as well. Therefore, you should know how to avoid ghostwriting scams.

Unusual Domain Names

If you see a domain name with a keyword muxed with adjectives, there is a possibility that it is a scam website.

The adjectives can be:

Best
Excellent
Expert
Specialized
Top
Brilliant

Some of the keywords are

Writing
Editing
Publishing
Ghostwriting

Common Website Designs

Scam ghostwriter sites frequently alter their business names and launch new websites with different URLs, making it difficult to follow them down. Frequently, the URL and the name of the business will read “Best Ghostwriting,” “Bestselling Ghostwriting,” or “#1 Book Writers.” You might notice that the websites resemble one another if you pay great attention to them. Many of the fake websites follow a template. It appears quite professional, but when you visit more websites, you’ll start to see a pattern or a similar style. This is another easiest way how to avoid ghostwriting scams.

Unbelievably Good Offers

Special discounts and reduced prices are signs of fake ghostwriting agencies. These sites concentrate mostly on marketing and sales. Due to this, they try to attract clients with too-good-to-be-true offers.

They will employ nearly any strategy to persuade you to work with them, such as promoting steep discounts or time-limited incentives to compel you to enroll immediately. Established publishing and ghostwriting companies rarely offer discounts for their services, which are also not cheap.

Hence, you should be skeptical if someone tells you you can have a book published for a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars. For writing a book, any reputable ghostwriter will charge at least more than ten thousand dollars, and that’s on the low end. So whenever you see a 50% discount, you know how to avoid ghostwriting scams.

Summary

To avoid handing over your hard-earned cash and getting nothing in return, it is better to learn all the tactics on how to avoid ghostwriting scams. These fraudulent sites are quite advanced, so you need to watch out for all the signs. By following these tips, you are most likely to identify these scammers.