I came across a job posting searching for freelance writers at Craigslist weeks ago and thought of sending in my application. The supposed writing position was intended for experienced writers and rewriters and the promised payment was $0.0175 to $0.025 per word for unique articles and $0.025 to $0.0175 per word for rewritten articles. My application was met with a positive response – I received a response email from a certain Valerie Kermann and was given further details about the position and job description. I was then told to send an email to her supposed colleague who went by the name Victoria Douglas.
The email from Victoria contained a .pdf attachment which included instructions about my first assignment. I was asked to write 30 articles, which was to be returned back after 14 days of receipt. Wary of the large volume of initial assignment, I tried Googling Morgan Media Services, Ltd. and the names of people behind it but did not find much information that can assure me of the company’s legitimacy. I did find a website bearing the name of Morgan Media Services, Ltd. but it said the site was under maintenance.
Despite having second thoughts about the legitimacy of the company, I went on writing the articles, which were mostly reviews about an online gambling site. When I had finished 15 of the 30 assigned articles, I came across a posting at Craigslist warning other writers about the scam activities of Morgan Media Services.
I emailed the poster and asked for more details about the information she has gathered about the company. She said she found out that the website (which was supposedly under maintenance) was created only weeks before and the Whois information of the site contained information that was way too different from the information supplied to her by the people who contacted her about the writing assignment. She also said she found a facebook page bearing the name of Morgan Media Services, Ltd. but it was in Arabic, contrary to the claims of Valerie and Victoria that their office is located in London. Lastly, she said there is no such place as Westbrookshield in London, the address where Valerie and Victoria said their office was located.
My warning alert heightened upon receiving this information from the Craigslist poster. I sent a message to Victoria asking more details about payment for the project. Her response was less than professional, although she did answer my question. She didn’t sound professional to me at all, not like the way a real manager would respond to people she has contact with.
That email sealed my belief that the company may indeed be fictitious and not legit. I stopped writing the articles and waited until the supposed deadline. The deadline has passed but I have not received any correspondence from them asking me about the articles they have assigned to me. A legit company wouldn’t just disappear without a word, right? If they don’t hear from their writers on or after the agreed date of submission, they usually send emails asking about progress of the projects.
I am not certain whether Morgan Media Services, Ltd. is indeed a scam. I am just sharing my experience with this company to my fellow freelance writers so they might also be aware of the possible consequences that may befall them if they write for this company. If there is someone out there who has a positive experience with Morgan Media Services, Ltd. and who can vouch its legitimacy, please let us know.
