Got a great business or invention idea but not a lot of capital? Not to worry; the good news is that there are many federal, state and crowdfunding sites to help you out. There are also many contests looking for innovators just like you. The best part about all these sites is that they give you free money, not loans, in order to get started. You just can’t beat free money.
Federal and State Grants
The feds offer over 1,000 grants on their grants.gov website, which takes some time to work through and get the hang of. There is also the more user-friendly aggregator site, Federal Grants, which provides streamlined information divided up into different business categories and owner demographics (e.g., women, minorities). The site also gives you directions on how to qualify for and apply for federal grants as well as what to do once you’re approved. The U.S. Small Business Administration also aggregates and provides information about federal and state government grants; you can use the SBA Loans and Grants Tool to help you find money.
If your business or invention idea involves the commercialization of technology, then you definitely need to check out the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. These programs award money to small businesses that engage in R&D and/or high tech applications.
Contests
Many business schools offer business plan writing contests; for example, in MIT’s Business Plan Competition, semi-finalists present a 20-page business report and the winner gets $100,000. University of Wisconsin’s business school offers several business plan competitions; in fact, Chris Meyer of Sector67 (whom ITT interviewed) launched his hacker space after winning several UW business plan competitions.
If you’re not affiliated with a business school, that’s OK too. Lots of companies and foundations offer business plan, elevator pitch and other contests; BizPlanCompetitions is an online directory that lists over 400 business plan competitions offered by corporations and foundations. Ben Franklin Technology Partners offers a $50,000 prize to companies that submit the best business plan, while the Business Owners’ Idea Cafe offers a $1,000 cash prize to any business that simply submits an innovative solution to an everyday problem.
Crowdfunding
Sites like Indiegogo, Kickstarter, Peerbacker and GoFundMe enable you to pre-sell your finished product or service to your backers and raise capital quickly. You must raise your desired amount or the money goes back to your backers; in other words, if you raise only $800 of your desired $1,200 goal, you will not get that $800. Also, because your invention or business idea is made public, there is the risk that someone may try to copy it. As a result, some crowdfunders obtain provisional patents on their ideas before revealing them on a crowdfunding site. Compared to regular patents, provisional patents are fairly cheap and easy to file, and they give your idea one year of legal “identity” before expiring.
Showcasing your idea well on a crowdfunding site is essential to getting pledges (i.e., money) from backers. Think rich media presentations, with lots of audio and video files and maybe even some cartoons added in for good measure. The more you can show to your backers, the more likely you’ll get them excited about your project- and that means more pledges coming in.
Regional/City Grants
Many small towns and communities are acutely aware of the need to help develop local businesses and most have EDPs, or economic development plans (enabled by economic development committees) that make room for business grants. These grants may not be big- think $2,000- but they can get you going on your business idea, especially if all you need is a few tools or software programs and can perform most of your work at home.
Keep in mind that, because these grants are created from taxpayer money, there will probably be some requirement for you to go before a city council and report on your progress (or lack thereof). To find out if your local town has an EDP, just go to the city’s website and search on EDP. Click here for an example of an EDP.
Angels
Unlike the angels that you might be thinking of, these angels are more earthbound and loaded with investment cash. They can be located through various directories such as Gust and Go4Funding. The average angel investment is $600,000, so an angel is typically intended for a business that is already up and running but needs help with a new product idea.
While angels don’t necessarily give you cash completely strings-free, they can wait years, if not decades, before asking for some kind of dividend on their investment. Another great thing about angel investors is that they don’t try to micromanage you or your business like venture capitalists. However, you will need to show a return on the investment amount at some point in time. Angels may also steer you towards selling your business, which frees up business profits (i.e., their payback).
What You Need to Provide
A plan: Most federal and state grant programs require in-depth proposals that outline every aspect of your business idea and organization. Therefore, you need to create a business plan.
A prototype: Business and invention contests assign major points to contestants that provide a working prototype. Because building a prototype takes money, you may first need to raise some capital using a crowdfunding site before submitting a contest application.
An employee: If you can argue that your business or invention idea will create at least one extra job (not counting your own, of course), you’re going to be much more likely to secure funding.
An LLC: To prove that you are a serious businessperson, you will need to incorporate your business. The easiest way to do this is to incorporate as an LLC.
A partner: It’s not an absolute necessity, but having someone else also invested in your business or invention idea gives you better credibility, which in turn increases your likelihood of getting money.
I’ve Tried That is scamming consumers, and here’s why- check out its rating with the Better Business Bureau:
Google is also iffy; its BBB score is a “C-“. E-Trade, which I’ve been happily using for years as my discount broker, gets a grade of “D-“.
You may think that the BBB is some government watchdog group that looks out for the consumer and mediates complaints against businesses. You might also think that any business listed with the BBB is legitimate.
It’s time to rethink the BBB.
The 20/20 Exposé of the BBB
Back in 2010, the ABC News show 20/20 conducted an investigation of the BBB of Southland, which served the Los Angeles area. What they found was a “non-profit” business using tactics akin to those of certain New Jersey sanitation companies. In essence, businesses that didn’t “pay to play” with the BBB by forking over $425 in membership dues were assigned substandard grades even if they had few or no complaints. Conversely, businesses that paid for membership in the BBB were assigned grades of “A-” or higher.
In a scambaiting maneuver, several local businesses decided to pay the $425 membership fee for a fictitious business named “Hamas” which, interestingly enough, is also the name of a Middle Eastern terrorist group. Hamas instantly got an “A-” grade. Stormfront, which is a neo-Nazi skinhead group, received an “A+” rating from the BBB when an anonymous blogger used this group’s name to register with the BBB and pay its membership fee.
But it didn’t stop there. Apparently, businesses with lackluster grades could also pay to improve their grades. When a local business owner called the Southland BBB, she was told by its customer service department that she could raise her business’ grade to an “A” from its current “C” if she simply paid a $395 membership fee. When she provided her credit card number to the rep, her business’ grade became an “A+” the next day. Another L.A. business owner was able to go from a “C-” to an “A+” by paying the $395.
After 20/20 interviewed the BBB CEO Steve Cox about the sham businesses receiving high grades and legitimate L.A. businesses being able to buy their good names, the Council of Better Business Bureaus shut down the Southland branch and noted this decision in a large press release dated March of 2013. However, it still took over two years for the BBB to shut down a branch that was openly engaging in extortion. And even after the expulsion of Southland, there is reason to doubt the BBB’s commitment to, as stated by Carrie Hurt, President and CEO of the CBBB, “a strong, standards-based BBB that consumers can depend upon and that businesses large and small can participate in with pride.”
Why am I still skeptical about the BBB?
“A few bad apples” is a myth.
There is a common practice in the business world when a (usually large) company is ousted for scandalous or outright illegal behavior: Blame the problem on a few “bad apples” and make a public example of them. However, for such bad apples to turn up in the first place, there is usually a permissive/complicit business environment that spoils them. And in the case of the BBB, that environment is still in place. Why?
Pervasive conflict of interest
The BBB is not some government body that’s acting as a third party watchdog group to protect consumers. In fact, consumers have little to do with the actual BBB. Technically, the BBB is a private 501(c)(6) non-profit organization that makes its revenues by selling annual memberships to businesses for a charge of $200 to $10,000, depending on the size of the company. Membership is synonymous with accreditation, by the way. National companies like Johnson & Johnson, Heinz and 3M are often invited to become CBBB corporate partners and pay up to $75,000 for this privilege.
That’s right- the BBB’s clients are not Joe-Blow Consumer or concerned taxpayers; they are corporations and firms that can actually afford to pay the annual BBB dues in order to become “accredited.” These facts are stated on the BBB blog.
However, if the BBB is making its revenues through dues-paying businesses, how can it remain objective when a client business receives a consumer complaint? In short, it can’t.
“Addressing” consumer complaints
Let’s say one of the BBB’s client businesses does receive a complaint from a consumer. In order to remain in good standing with the BBB, that business must demonstrate “good faith effort to resolve complaints.” However, the BBB does not explain just how this process should occur. A business could get away with sending a form email to the consumer saying “Sorry, try again,” and leaving the actual complaint unresolved.
If the consumer doesn’t provide a rebuttal within 10 days, the case is closed as “resolved.” Meanwhile, if a consumer truly wants to pursue a shady business via the BBB, she is charged a fee to use the BBB’s Dispute Resolution Services. Honestly, what consumer is going to shell out $79 to obtain a refund on a $29 item? In this way, businesses with a bunch of unhappy customers maintain their good grades with the BBB.
Living in oppositeland: I’ve Tried That is a scam (and so are Wolfgang Puck, Ritz Carlton and Disney)
As to why I’ve Tried That has a big, fat “F” rating, I may have a reason. On the BBB Code of Business Practices (BBB Accreditation Standards), there is the stipulation as to what a business in good standing with the BBB shouldn’t do:
Avoid involvement, by the business or its principals, in activities that reflect unfavorably on, or otherwise adversely affect the public image of BBB or its accredited businesses.
Since ITT regularly exposes scam businesses, it may have at one time inadvertently hit a BBB accredited business. Thus, for doing the actual work of the BBB, ITT gets slammed by this “watchdog” group.
If you live long enough, you’ll probably receive a letter from the National Library of Poetry telling you how your poem has been given an “Editor’s Choice” award, and now all you need to do is send money to see it in print. In fact, the National Library of Poetry even has a poem written in its honor and published in the National Library of Poetry:
The Scam
By Edwin James Howard
I was taken by a scam
You know the sort
Write a poem
You might win big bucks
I entered away
A poem dear to my heart
I’m a semi-finalist
Dollar signs in my eyes.
But then comes the line
Pay us to see it in print
We’ll give you a deal
Pay us some more to tell your life.
I love a good scam
I wish it was me
That thought of this first
Have people pay to write poetry.
In the past, it was easy to spot vanity presses and avoid them for the publishing scams that they were. Today, thanks to the digital publishing revolution, the dividing line between legitimate and scam publishers is harder to draw. Furthermore, even for those authors using traditional publishers and literary agents, scams abound. How can you protect yourself and your hard-earned cash from being taken?
Understand how self-publishing works
If you choose to self-publish, you will likely work with a self-publisher that will provide you with a set of services including formatting, cover design, copyright registration, distributor listing, etc. in exchange for a set fee. This self-publisher will also print your materials for you using either an in-house or (more than likely) outsourced printer.
The cost of printing is fairly even across the board with most self-publishers- or at least it should be- because most self-publishing companies use the print-on-demand company Lightning Source as their outsourced printer. Click here to find out more about expected printing prices using Lightning Source. If a self-publisher wants to charge you substantially more than what the typical printing cost would be using a printer like Lightning Source, that exorbitant fee should immediately raise a red flag with you.
Understand how much publishing really costs
Self-publishers may also charge a premium for such things as purchasing ISBNs or a copyright, when in fact you can buy these items yourself for a much lower fee. Granted, a self-publisher needs to make a profit somewhere; however, profits are typically derived from book sales (through royalties) and not by gouging the author on publishing products. When publishing companies derive the majority of their profits from the authors and not book buyers, they become knows as vanity presses (and get sued). Click here to learn more about protecting yourself from self-publishing scams.
Some self-publishers that have been flagged as vanity presses because of their high printing charges include Arbor Books, AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Llumina Press, WinePress Publishing and Xlibris. Interestingly, AuthorHouse, iUniverse and Xlibris are all owned by Author Solutions, which was sued in April of 2013 for selling poor quality products, not reporting actual book sales (and thus, royalties) and up-selling unnecessary services to authors. Click here to read the entirety of the Author Solutions lawsuit.
Understand how traditional publishing works
Many authors choose traditional publishing houses like Random House or Penguin because these outlets appear more “legit” in the literary world. The main advantage with big-time publishers is that they have both the marketing budget and sales force to actively work with distributors in promoting new books. Of course, the caveat to this statement is that most of the marketing budget and sales force are dedicated to promoting books written by celebrities or already famous authors, not you. In fact, if you as the newbie author don’t already have some kind of following for your book, it’s doubtful that your book sales will be the result of publisher efforts.
The other, though highly debatable, advantage with traditional publishers is that you don’t pay for the actual publishing of your book. Instead, you sign a contract where you give your publisher certain rights to your book and, in exchange, receive an advance and royalties from its sale.
If you use a traditional publisher, read your contract carefully and hopefully with an attorney proficient in literary agreements. Look out for clauses that state “in perpetuity,” as these items often strip you of the rights to your own book for the remainder of your lifetime- and then some.
Understand the publishing middlemen
Because it’s become even more challenging to pitch a book directly to traditional publishers, literary agents are often called upon as the middlemen between authors and publishers. Literary agents are often former publishing house editors who chose to become promotional agents for aspiring authors. Literary agents must also be pitched to and, should they decide to take on that aspiring author, deal directly with the publishing houses to promote her book.
Unfortunately, just like some publishers, there are many unscrupulous literary agents who prefer to make money off the author rather than the book. Some literary agents charge a reading fee for looking over a manuscript (which may or may not even get read). For example, the “literary agency” Kissane Communications, which is based in South Barrington, Ill, once took a newbie author for a ride by charging a $150 reading fee for her novel, which was then read only until about page 20 and then probably discarded. I know this because this newbie author was me, way back in 1992 and before the age of scam-busting websites like I’ve Tried That.
A reputable literary agent does not charge a reading fee- nor any fee, for that matter- because a literary agent works to make an eventual commission on your book sales. To find a reputable literary agent, start with the Association of Authors’ Representatives website for a listing of agents. Then, follow up on specific agents by checking out their websites and which authors they’ve worked with in the past. Don’t be afraid to contact those authors to obtain a thorough review of the agent in question. And finally, should you decide to work with a particular agent, always have an attorney check over the contract you eventually sign.
Understand the new “traditional publisher” publishing scam
If you don’t want to give a literary agent a slice of your earnings or if you already know someone in the traditional publishing business, then you may wish to pitch traditional publishers directly. Be aware, however, that traditional publishers are taking huge financial losses to their business models thanks to self-publishers. As a result, many well-known and even respected traditional publishing houses have made deals with self-publishers/vanity presses in order to profit from newbie author ignorance.
Remember Author Solutions, the self-publisher that owns a suite of vanity presses like AuthorHouse and iUniverse? As of 2012, this company is actually a subsidiary of Penguin Group- yeah, the same Penguin that probably published your high school textbooks. And it’s doubtful that Penguin will clean up this vanity press because guess who now sits on the Penguin Board of Directors? Yep, none other than AS CEO Kevin Weiss. And the story doesn’t end there; this year, Penguin joined forces with Random House, another big-time publisher.
If you think Simon & Schuster is better, think again: Last year, S&S announced that it was launching the vanity press Archway Publishing. It turns out that Archway Publishing is a subsidiary of…wait for it…Author Solutions. Other big publishing names are also getting down and dirty: Writer’s Digest has launched Abbott Press, Hay House now has Balboa Press, and Thomas Nelson has WestBow. Even the bodice-ripper Harlequin has gotten in bed with vanity publishing. And guess what else? All these vanity publishers are subsidiaries of…I feel like I’m repeating myself…Author Solutions.
Why am I calling these new publishing imprints scams?
Let’s say a traditional publisher, say S&S, receives a query letter from a newbie author and declines to publish his book. However, instead of taking the loss of potential author income for what it is, S&S can now tell the author that their new imprint, Archway Publishing, will be more than happy to publish his book. To the newbie author, it sounds like S&S is saying yes to the book- after all, Archway is a part of S&S, right?
What the author doesn’t realize is that the S&S name will never be printed on any part of his book. S&S will also never have a hand in marketing or selling that book. Instead, those tasks will fall on, in essence, Author Solutions. Given its recent lawsuit, how much of a vested interest do you think AS will have in actually trying to sell an unknown author’s book?
The Publishing End Game
Publishing is a business and, like all businesses, is prone to corruption and scams. You as the author need to exercise due diligence when dealing with publishers by any name and affiliation. Too many newbie authors become so enamored with the idea of finally being published that they don’t do their homework on who their publisher/literary agent really is. Don’t become another publisher/literary agent statistic.
In a nutshell: car wrap scams are a type of fake check scams.
I first wrote about this scam back in 2013 and it’s almost 10 years later and still going strong.
This post alone has over 1,000 comments from people I’ve helped and countless more have written to me privately. I’ve saved tens of millions of dollars from falling into scammers hands.
If you aren’t careful, it can cost you thousands of dollars.
In fact, a study by the FTC showed that people reported a median loss of $1,988 in 2019 to fake check scams, including car wrap scams (Source)
Today, I’ll explain what a car wrap scam is, how to spot one, and relay my own personal experience with this scam, complete with photos.
How Do Car Wrap Scams Work?
As I’ve mentioned, car wrap scams are a type of fake check scams.
Generally, here’s how a fake check scam works:
1. Scammers get in contact with you.
Scammers get your information while you’re looking for a legitimate work from home job and reach out with a job offer.
Or maybe you end up contacting them because you saw an ad to “get paid to drive,” “mystery shopper wanted,” or “virtual assistant wanted.”
Others tell you that you’ve won a sweepstakes, even though you don’t remember ever buying a ticket or entering a contest.
2. They send you a fake check.
Once the scammer is talking to you, they send you a genuine-looking check. These checks look genuine enough to fool you and bank tellers.
Car wrap scammers will send you a check for a greater amount than they agreed to pay you. They’ll then tell you to deposit the check and send the graphic designers or car wrap service the rest of the amount so they can come and wrap your car.
Mystery shopping scammers will assign you to evaluate the services of a money transfer service or money order retailers, and sometimes gift card retailers. They’ll then send you a check to deposit it in your personal account and then wire the money to someone else or buy gift cards in that amount and send the codes to them.
Virtual or personal assistant scammers send you a check and then instruct you to buy gift cards for supplies for your clients and then send them the codes.
Sweepstakes scammers send you a huge check and then instruct you to wire them a certain percentage for taxes, handling fees, or processing fees.
3. You deposit the fake check.
When you make a check deposit, banks are legally required to make the funds available for you to withdraw immediately.
So you withdraw the funds and send the money to someone else or buy the gift cards, etc.
It all seems fuss-free and above board, right?
Wrong.
4. The check bounces.
It can take days or even weeks to uncover a fake check.
Once it’s uncovered, the check bounces and the bank takes back the money from your account.
But you’ve already sent thousands of your own dollars to the criminals!
And they’ve vanished by this time. No way to contact them, no way to get the gift card codes back.
So you’re on the hook for the money, and now you have to explain to your bank why you even deposited a fake check into your account in the first place. You’re out the overdraft fees as well if you don’t have enough to cover the money that the bank took back.
This post was originally published in 2013. This scam is STILL occurring today and it looks like it will continue well into the future.
In fact, car wrap scams are now even more dangerous as the people behind them are coming up with more convincing ways to trick people into losing their hard-earned money.
For instance, some of the brands they claim to work with include ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®, Monster Energy Drink, Aquafina, Pirelli Tyres, McCafe, Dunkin’ Donuts, Langers Juice Company, Dr. Pepper, Marlboro, Purell, and many other big names.
Keep reading to see my experience with this scam and if you have received an email that you think might be sketchy, please post it in the comments below.
Can I cash the fake check?
The very first question I get asked is: “Can’t I just take the fake check to one of those check cashing places and keep the money?”
The answer is a hard no.
Check cashing facilities do not hand out money anonymously. You need to provide them with your identity, proof of residence, proof of employment, phone number, address, and so on. Even if they do manage to cash the check for you, the check will bounce and now they know how to get in contact with you.
They will start off by calling you, then mailing a certified letter, then they will escalate it and get the authorities involved. If you do not respond to their attempts to contact you, you can expect a warrant to be placed for your arrest by the authorities.
How to Spot, Avoid, and Report a Car Wrap Scam
So, knowing all these, what can you do to protect yourself from being scammed?
Take note of the following information:
1. Know how legitimate car wrap companies operate.
The main thing is that normally drivers come to them, not the other way around. They typically evaluate drivers based on how many miles they drive, where they drive, and their driving record.
They typically cover the cost of the wrapping themselves, too.
So if you do receive an email asking if you’re interested in having your car wrapped and getting paid hundreds of dollars a week, and you know you haven’t contacted or applied to a car wrapping company, ignore it. That’s likely a car wrap scam.
Most importantly, the amount on the check they’ll send you is exactly for the agreed amount, if they even pay you by check. Carvertise, for instance, pays you via direct deposit.
2. Never deposit checks from people you don’t know.
Sometimes it can be that simple.
Got a check in the mail from a stranger? Put it down and report it (see how below).
3. Never use money from a check to buy gift cards, money orders, or wire money to third parties.
This applies even if you were written a check by someone you know.
If you buy gift cards and send the codes, or wire money, that’s like giving someone cash. You’re never going to get that money back.
Plus, what legitimate company wants you to send them digital gift cards? This alone doesn’t pass the sniff test.
4. If you receive a suspicious check, report it immediately.
Help yourself and other potential victims by reporting it to the following:
So what should you do when a scammer wants you to cash a fake check?
Here’s my personal experience with these car wrap scammers:
The Car Wrap Scam
In mid-September, I received an email from “David Christian” that originated from the address patriciabarrington@hotmail.com. The email simply said the following: Would You Wrap Your Car in an Ad for $300 Weekly? After I answered “yes,” I received the following email back:
Hello,
Wrap advertising is the marketing practice of completely or partially covering (wrapping) a vehicle in an advertisement or livery, thus turning it into a mobile billboard. This can be achieved by simply painting the vehicle surface, but it is becoming more common today to use large vinyl sheets as decals. These can be removed with relative ease, making it much less expensive to change from one advertisement to another. Vehicles with large, flat surfaces, such as buses and light-rail carriages, are fairly easy to work with, though smaller cars with curved surfaces can also be wrapped in this manner. Wrap advertising is available to anybody irrespective of the vehicle you drive.
We are currently seeking to employ individuals in the United States of America. How would you like to make money by simply driving your car or banner wrapped for ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®
How it works?
Here’s the basic premise of the “paid to drive” concept: ROCKSTAR Energy Drink® seek residents in the United States who are professional drivers to go about their normal routine as they usually do, only with a big advert for “ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®” plastered on your car. The ads are typically vinyl decals, also known as “auto wraps,”that almost seem to be painted on the vehicle, and which will cover any portion of your car’s exterior surface.
Don’t Have a Car?
If you don’t have a car, you can also participate if you have a bike.
What does the company get out of this type of ad strategy?
Lots of exposure and awareness. The auto wraps tend to be colorful, eye-catching and attract lots of attention. Plus, it’s a form of advertising with a captive audience,meaning people who are stuck in traffic can’t avoid seeing the wrapped car alongside them. This program will last for 3 months and the minimum you can participate is a month.
What is the Contract Duration?
Once the wrap has been installed, minimum term is 4 weeks and maximum is 12 weeks.
Would the wrap/decal damage the paint of my car?
The decal doesn’t damage the paint of car and will be removed by our representative once the contract expire. We will be responsible for installation and removal of the wrap.
You will be compensated with $300.00 per week which is essentially a “rental”payment for letting our company use the space and no fee is required from you. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink® shall provide experts that would handle the advert placing on your car. You will receive an upfront payment of $300.00 in form of a check via courier service for accepting to carry this advert on your car.
It is very easy and simple no application fees required. Get back with the following details if you are interested in this offer.
Applicant information:
Name :
Full Street Address(not PO BOX) :
APT #:
City,State,Zip Code:
Cell Phone Number:
Home Phone Number:
Age:
We shall be contacting you as soon as we receive this information.
Best Regards,
David Christian
Hiring Manager,
ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®
I provided my contact information, after which I received the following email:
Thank you for your swift response and your willingness to work with us. To this effect, you are advise to check your email regularly to get updates as to know when your upfront payment will arrive at your address.
1) You will receive a Check as a form of payment. As soon as you get the check, you will cash it for the decal wrapping on your car and deduct $300.00 as your up-front payment. The rest of the funds from that same check should be transferred to the Graphic artist that will wrap the decal on your vehicle. All you need is to confirm the acceptance and understanding of this email.
2) You will make a transfer of the remaining funds to the Graphic artist via wire transfer at an outlet in your area, the Info which you will make the transfer to will be emailed to you soon.
3) We’ll like you to confirm Information about your vehicle as below:
i) Type of Car and Color :
ii) Model/Year :
iii) Present Condition and the Mileage:
Note: Please, confirm that you did receive this message so that we can process funds that would be sent to you for the car advert.
All other instructions will be sent out to you asap.
I…………..Confirm to have received this email and understand the content.
Best Regards,
David Christian
Hiring Manager,
ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®
The Fake Check Arrives
I confirmed my willingness to work with “ROCKSTAR Energy Drink.” About a week later, I started receiving text messages on my phone from David Christian regarding my upcoming “check”.
Sure enough, when I went home and opened my mailbox, I found a check made out to me in the amount of $2,350. Woo hoo!
Interestingly, the check was made to look like it was coming from BOP, LLC, a legitimate clothing store business here in Madison, Wisconsin. The envelope, however, had a copy of a USPS Priority Mail 2-Day slip on it in which Rudy Grado, at 27405 Sutherland Drive, Warren, MI 48088-6078, was noted as the sender. I took pictures of both the fake check and the envelope it came in and have provided these pictures below. The pink stickies were affixed by me to hide my home address.
I called BOP, LLC and told them that I had received a check from them for the amount of $2,350. The business immediately asked me if my check was blue. I said no; it was actually a green color. The store immediately informed me that the check was fake and I should talk with law enforcement.
Meanwhile, I had David Christian texting me at least twice that day and asking me if I’d received my instructions on what to do with the check. I texted “him” back that I had yet to receive any emailed instructions. Naturally, when I later checked my email I found the following message:
Hello Halina,
Kindly proceed and deposit the check into your bank account and funds will be available for withdrawal 24hrs after it has been deposited. I will be waiting for a confirmation message immediately the check is deposited.
As soon as the cash is out you are to deduct $300.00 which is your upfront payment and forward the balance ($2,050.00) to the graphic artist that will be wrapping the decal on your vehicle via Money Gram and they will also be responsible for removing the decal when the program is completed. Please visit www.moneygram.com to check agent location close to you and make transfer through them.
Below is the name of the receiver. Please note that the transfer charges should be deducted from the remaining $2,050. You are to get back to me with the transfer details (Reference Number and the exact amount sent).
Below is the Graphic Artist Money Gram details to send the Money to
Kindly get back with the information below once the transfer has been completed.
Reference Number & Total Amount Sent
FAQ: Why am I sending money to Florida? The head office of the graphic artist is in FL.
As soon as payment is acknowledged by them, a local artist in your area will be sent to your address to install the decal wrap on your car. Let me know as soon as the check is deposited today.
If you require additional information, do not hesitate to email or call me.
Best regards,
David Christian
Hiring Manager.
(702)605-0985
What do you think I should do?
At this point in time, I’m debating about taking several different courses of action. I could do the following:
1. Contact local law enforcement and tell them that Patricia Barrington, Sandra Fagan and Rudy Grado are writing fake checks in a legitimate Madison business’ name.
2. Contact the FBI about the same issue since it spans several states (i.e., Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Florida).
3. Tell the scammers that I’ve deposited the check and am waiting for it to clear. This puts the car wrap scammers in a holding pattern because checks typically take 1-2 weeks to clear.
4. Tell the scammers that their “employment” check has been forwarded to the IRS for cashing because I owe back taxes and all my earnings must first be garnished (That should put them into a panic!).
5. New development! I might have a second car wrap scam check coming to my house very soon. This one is from George Jennings of NOS Energy Drink. Should I tell the ROCKSTAR scam folks that I’ve instead decided to work with the NOS scam folks- or vice versa?
I’ve Tried That readers, what would you do in this situation?
Update as of October 7, 2013:
First off all, thank you everyone for your feedback! I was feeling a little confrontational this morning, so I decided to first text David Christian and say that I’d deposited the check last Friday at my bank. Within seconds, I received a text message back from him, asking if I’d received my email instructions.
Deciding to not play text tag any longer, I called Mr. David Christian at the phone number (702) 605-0985. A guy with a slight English accent picked up the line and actually identified himself as David Christian. I told him that I’d deposited the check I’d been sent last Friday, but the bank had put a hold on it for some reason. He asked me how long the hold was. I answered that the bank wanted to hold it for two weeks.
David didn’t seem too concerned about the hold and said that I could just wait until the check cleared, then write out my own check to the graphic artist.
I then asked David about the Madison business that had been listed on the check (BOP, LLC). I said I was confused about why this business was being listed on the check. David answered that this business was the sponsor.
I then told David that I had contacted this business and they had no idea what I was talking about. BOP had also told me that the check was the wrong color (their checks have a blue background).
At that point, David and I lost connection. I tried calling him back at least two times. No answer. I wonder what happened. I hope he’s OK…
Update as of October 12, 2013:
This past week, I received the following email from a “George Jennings (george.jennings11@outlook.com)” of NOS Energy drink:
Hello Halina,
Information reaching me this morning has it that you will be receiving the check today. The check of $2,330.00 has been sent to you via USPS with tracking number (9405501699320009816575) and it will be delivered to you this morning. Kindly proceed and deposit the check into your bank account and funds will be available for withdrawal 24hrs after it has been deposited.
I will be waiting for a confirmation message immediately the check is deposited. As soon as the cash is out you are to deduct $300.00 which is your upfront payment and forward the balance ($2,030.00) to the graphic artist that will be wrapping the decal on your car via Money Gram.
They also will be responsible in removing the decal when the program is completed.
Below is the name of the receiver. You are to get back to me with the transfer information (8 digits Money Gram Reference) Number and the exact amount sent). You are to deduct the transfer charges ($180.00) from the $2,030.00 you have with you.
Below is the Graphic Artist Money Gram Details to send the Money to in Minutes
PAYMENT INFO
Name: Constance H Lawson
City: Saint Johnsbury
State: Vermont
Zip code: 05819
Kindly get back with the information below once the transfer has been completed.
Money Gram Reference Number# & Total Amount Sent
FAQ: Why am I sending money to Vermont? The head office the graphic artist is VT, As soon as payment is acknowledge by them, a local artist will come to your house and install the decal wrap on your car. Let me know as soon as the check is deposited.
If you require additional information, do not hesitate to email me or call me.
Best Regards
George Jennings.
951-234-7388
Hiring Manager.
And here’s the fake check:
I’m seeing at least one common theme between the NOS and ROCKSTAR Energy Drink scammers. First of all, the car wrap “sponsors” are both clothing shops, BOP (of Madison, WI) and Madison et Cie (of Los Angeles, CA). What a clothing shop has to do with an energy drink, I haven’t a clue.
I also think that the NOS scam artists are far more sloppy than the ROCKSTAR Energy Drink scam artists; why would an LA-based shop sponsor a car in Madison? Unless that shop was picked only because it has the name “Madison” in it- did the scammers think I wouldn’t notice the location of this “Madison”-based shop?
Update as of October 15, 2013:
So, apparently, I don’t have to be scammed for $1,850 ($2,030 – $180 for wire transfer charges). I can also be scammed for just…get ready for it…$1,000!
Hello Applicant,
You are receiving this email because you applied for car wrap job. We are please to inform you that your application has been processed. Payment has been sent and delivered which include your 1st week payment and funds for the graphic artist. We will like to have an update from you if you have been able to forward fund to your matched graphic artist head office. If yes, provide the transfer info and If you are yet to receive payment from us, please let us know so we can process your application immediately. We look forward to your swift response.
Regards
George Jennings
My reply (including all broken grammar and misspellings): Thank you for email. My bank deposited the check but tell me I will receive back only one thousand dollars from thsi check. I don’t understand why.
George Jennings: Why is that? What did the bank say?
My reply: The bank is saying that the IRS is going to garnish my check as wages. I’m supposed to send them a W-9 from NOS too. Can you send a W-9 for these wages?
George Jennings: All the necessary document will be presented to you before the installation. Kindly proceed to send the $1000 via Western union to Constance to enable us book the installation appointment and the graphic artist will bring the W-9 with him. I will be expecting the Western union details.
Update as of October 18, 2013:
My saga with George Jennings continues:
Me: What about the $200 wire transfer charge?
GJ: The transfer charges should be deducted from the $1000. Kindly try and get this done today so the appointment can be booked.
Me: I sent a check this afternoon to the graphic artist. Thanks!
GJ: To who? You are to make a western union transfer to the details that was sent to you. Not send a check besides no address was provided to you.
Me: To Constance H. Lawson. She lives on Railroad St. in Saint Johnsburg, VT. It was much cheaper for me to just send a check.
GJ: Call it back.
Me: I already sent the check to her, but I can call her phone number and let her know not to cash the check. Or, should I send payment to the following address: PO Box 4125 Saint Johnsbury, VT 05819-4125
At this point, George stopped answering my emails. Too bad…
The Bottom Line: Avoid Car Wrap Job Offers
At best, responding to these scammers will waste your time. At worst, it could cost you thousands of dollars, financial ruin, and get you in trouble with the authorities.
Avoid any offered car wrap jobs, ignore the people behind them, and always do your research.
However, since you’re here reading this, you’re no doubt interested in finding new ways to make some extra money.
Rating: 0 out of 10 for legitimacy. 10 out of 10 for junk mail.
Pros: None. Absolutely none. Unless you count losing money as a pro. Then there’s that one. But for us normal folk, there are no pros here.
Cons: This isn’t a way to build a business. Hell, we’re not even sure it’s legal or how the company is still operating. You’re basically paying for an exact replica of the site to get people to buy the exact replica of a site from you and so on and so forth.
Our Recommendation: This isn’t a way to build a business online. Instead, learn how to create a REAL internet marketing business that can build you a sustainable stream of income in the long run. Click here to check out our top recommendation on how to do this. It’s free to get started.
Full Review
Sometimes I look at a website to review and I think to myself “My review should be one word long: Avoid!”.
That was my exact thought when I came across EPS Prosperity Hotline.com. This site screams scam.
First off, they are promising you $25 per email that you process, which sounds really good, I mean who wouldn’t want to earn $25 bucks for replying to an email?
Their earnings statements are interesting to say the least as although they state it isn’t a get rich quick scheme, they do an awful lot of pushing that you can make thousands per day.
It works the way that you are provided with 3 pre written adverts, though I am sure you can write your own if you prefer, and advised to post them to Craigslist.
Anyone who responds to this ad will need to be sent promotional information and if they join you get the $25.
The fee is a one-time $25 with an optional $10 to get a “website just like this one”.
Are there any flaws to this system?
There are plenty of flaws. To begin with let’s take a look at the actual product you are promoting, drum roll please; you are promoting the same site you just signed up to!
That’s right; there are no products, no services, nothing. Your main aim is to get people to do the same thing that you are doing.
This is just a modern day version of the envelope stuffing scams that were running rampant years ago. You are making money by promoting the idea of making money.
The only ways in which this differs from a standard pyramid scheme is that there is an extremely short “downline” (just you) and that the site owners are not part of the downline.
I am tempted to coin a new phrase and call this a “ziggurat scheme”.
You may be wondering how the parent company is making money off of this as the $25 dollars goes to you not them.
The only thing I can ascertain is that they make money from the “website” which in fact is just their website with an affiliate link.
It’s actually quite a clever way of making money off of people. Get people to sign up – in fact you cannot even sign up directly, you have to go through a person’s link to do so – and then get them to do the work in spreading the word about the system.
All they need to do is set up the site to automate the affiliate link and let’s say most people buy the “website” offer at $10 bucks, that’s easy cash.
And then there is the Craiglist flaw. OK, so you don’t need to use Craiglist and there are other possibilities listed for you, but that’s the main one they push.
Unfortunately, but really not a surprise, Craiglist has already started blocking the 3 default adverts you are supplied with, meaning you will need to use other ways and methods to spread the word or different adverts.
If you have little to no marketing acumen you may struggle to get a return due to this.
It would be no surprise to me if other classified advert places and the like are banning anything to do with this site.
There are other issues I have with this scheme: there is no refund policy at all and their sales page lists fake badges to Honest Jobs Online (who are they? I can’t trace them) and security sites.
The Bottom Line
Everything about this site screams scam! Somebody I know put me on to this site and as soon as I saw it I told them to avoid it like the plague!
That being said, I wouldn’t be giving an honest review if I didn’t tell you that you can probably make money from this.
You may be wondering why I am calling it a scam and yet saying it is profitable? Well, for me it comes down to what you are selling and the ethics behind it.
You are selling thin air and promises. If there isn’t anything tangible, be it physical, digital or a service, then it is a scam.
I also find it highly unethical for the same reasons; you are recruiting people in order to make money from their recruitment, and putting them into a situation where they in turn need to recruit people to make money.
I can’t tell you what to do, but my advice is to steer clear of this one.
How do you invent the next “big thing” without going broke in the process? Invention ideas are great, but they also cost a lot of money to develop; by the time you’ve bought the equipment and hired the skilled labor to generate your prototype, filed a provisional patent, and maybe even found a few interested partners, you could be several thousand dollars in the hole.
However, what if you could realize your invention idea by learning all the necessary skills yourself and paying a small fee to rent the equipment? By doing this extra legwork, your invention idea could cost you as little as a hundred bucks to develop. You could do this by working with a hackerspace, also often called a makerspace, to bring your invention idea to life.
What is a hackerspace?
To answer this question, I talked with Chris Meyer, the owner of Sector67, a hackerspace in Madison, Wisconsin. Chris has been running Sector67 for a few years now and was even involved in helping Alisa Toninato of the now FeLion Studios design cast-iron skillets of U.S. states like Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. Toninato’s business was later featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine.
“What does a hackerspace mean? Who knows,” says Chris. “What a hackerspace does mean is that you’re likely to find a set of people who have a similar mindset about creativity and collaboration and getting together and doing cool stuff.”
Sounds like a good start.
A hackerspace is typically defined as a community organized and operated space where members can congregate, collaborate and work on individual or group projects. The projects themselves are member-defined; however, they often involve computers, electronics and scientific and manufacturing equipment. The nature of each hackerspace is determined by member interests; one hackerspace may be primarily biology-oriented, with members engaged in cell culture and cloning, while another hackerspace may be composed of members designing iPhone apps or Facebook games.
How does a hackerspace function?
Many hackerspaces are organized as non-profit businesses. Other hackerspaces are created when interested individuals come together and pool their assets into the venture. Those individuals become the founding members of the hackerspace. However, the hackerspace need not be a closed entity; in the case of Sector67, individual and business memberships are sold at the rate of $100 or $200 per month, respectively. These priced memberships help support the hackerspace in terms of expenses like its rent, utilities, new equipment purchases, etc. New members also help expand and shape the scope of the hackerspace.
Instructional classes may be another aspect of the hackerspace. Sector67 offers one-one-one classes for $50; one-on-many classes may run $10 0r $20. These aren’t snooze classes either; on the day I arrived at Sector67, there was a billboard advertising a cool-sounding “Lockpicking 101” class. Other classes include “Make Your Own Solar Cooker,” “WordPress 101,” and “Writing a Business Plan.”
Hackerspaces are often associated with a lot of cool-looking gadgets, toys and other equipment. At Sector67 alone, there is a massive 3D printer located in one corner of the facility. There are also many types of computer numeric control (CNC) machines including routers, mills, lathes, laser cutters, welders, saws, and injection molders. Sector67 also contains oscilloscopes, electronics testing equipment and a computer lab.
“The rest of it’s all boring,” says Chris.
For roughly 20 years now, hackerspaces have existed, albeit quietly and mostly at universities where members had to be affiliated with the school. Around 2006, hackerspaces really started taking off, worldwide and in the U.S. Currently, states like California and New York have many hackerspaces available. Even unexpected spots like Casper, Wyoming have a hackerspace (Firefly).
According to the HackerspaceWiki list, there are an estimated 176 hackerspaces in the U.S. More hackerspaces are in the works; for example, on the HackerspaceWiki list, the state of Wisconsin shows only two hackerspaces; however, Madison’s Sector67 and a newly formed makerspace in Whitewater are missing.
What makes a makerspace?
Many people instantly associate a hackerspace with cool equipment like 3D printers, CNC equipment, injection molders and welders. However, “it’s really not about the equipment,” according to Chris. “I never set out in my business plan to say, ‘I need a laser cutter or I need this thing or that thing.’ We’re not a soldering club or a knitting club or a CNC equipment club or a laser cutter club.”
“The principle here is to provide basic services that bring people in and get them excited about new things and meeting new people. That’s the important part. It’s not to re-create the tool set, and it’s not to re-create the facilities, but it’s to re-create the people. You have to find the right people.”
Chris talks about how hackerspace members generate a sort of “critical mind mass” by the simple fact that they gather in one space, collaborate, and bring about new ideas. If one member can have a great idea about building the next “big thing,” fellow members can figure out a way to materialize the equipment needed to bring the idea to fruition. That equipment may end up being purchased, rented or even built from scratch.
“The equipment is not important,” Chris says. “The equipment doesn’t matter. If you don’t have a CNC mill, you will figure out some other way of making it. You’ll have enough smart people around who will come up with some creative application that will do the same job. Or they’ll come up with a different design. Or, more importantly, maybe they’ll give somebody a call in the community and say ‘Hey, I know you’ve got a business doing this, would you be willing to help us out for an hour?'”
The bottom line here is that a critical mind mass of smart people will find a way.
How can you get involved in a hackerspace?
Hopefully, there is a hackerspace near you that you can join and take advantage of. Most hackerspaces are rather informal and simply seek out inquisitive, vibrant minds. Even if you don’t currently have an invention idea, you might soon find yourself with one after touring a hackerspace and speaking with some of its members.
When you first start off in the world of internet marketing, you are likely to be unsure of what niche to get involved in and what products to promote. More often than not, more experienced marketers will either push you towards, or at least recommend ClickBank.
ClickBank is a product marketplace, mainly dealing in digital products like software and eBooks, where you can choose from a large number of products to promote.
As these are digital products the overheads are generally quite small, which means that they makers of these products can offer up a much larger slice of the pie when it comes to the affiliate commissions, on average around 20-50% of the sale price.
Though recently ClickBank has improved, it has had a history of allowing poor products on its list, though that mantle seems to have been taken over now by the likes of ClickSure.
The product I am reviewing today makes use of ClickBank. It is called CB Passive Income and it is a lead generation system that offers a way for you to generate cash from ClickBank products.
Another Push Button System?
The system is specifically targeted at internet marketing newbies and that worries me, because I do not believe that this system will actually teach you anything. Let’s take a sample of his sales pitch:
Imagine if…
You didn’t need to write or produce any content
You didn’t need to create any membership program
You didn’t need to create any products to sell
You didn’t need to come up with your own free offer
You didn’t need to write any sales letters
You didn’t need to pay for hosting or an auto-responder
You didn’t need to send emails at all
You didn’t need to provide any customer service or follow up
You didn’t need to research for what products or affiliate programs to promote
You didn’t even need to learn internet marketing!
Heck, with this program, you don’t need to do anything except for one simple task!
This is selling a pipe-dream. It is basically saying you can earn money for doing virtually nothing, and that just isn’t true.
The premise of the system is a simple and well known marketing ploy: create an email harvesting website that offers something for free in return for an email address; send that person emails with information and product promotions; earn commissions.
That is a tried and tested way of earning money online, I have no doubt about that. My concerns for this system come from the fact that the newbie will not be taught or learn about the ins and outs of how a mailing list works and they won’t have to face the learning and growing experience of trying and failing. Patric Chan, the creator of CB Passive Income will do it all for you.
This will lead to one major downfall: your income is in someone else’s hands!
You have no control over what the website looks like, what it sells, or what the emails contain.
You will also have no exact statistics on what emails did well, how many products sold etc etc.
You will also be at the mercy of Mr. Chan. What if he decides that today is the day, unplugs his computer and goes to live in Peru?
Push button systems sound glorious, and speak to our inner laziness (they do to mine all the time!), but in reality you don’t learn from them and you certainly won’t make a sustainable business from them.
A Simple Task
Of course if you did decide to purchase the product, there is “one simple task” you need to do, which is to promote the link to the website to get people to hand over their email address in the first place.
Lead generation, as this is technically called, is no easy task, especially for a beginner. In fact, I would say it is probably the largest stumbling block for any online entrepreneur.
Therefore, while it is great that the only thing you need to do in this system is generate traffic, it is often the hardest thing to do, especially when there is little reward for the user. Would you just give away your email address easily?
Perhaps I’m cynical nowadays, but I tend to want to trust the website first before doing so, which means I need content and lots of it, to prove to me this person knows what they are talking about.
Upsells
Due to the fact that most newbies will be lost at sea when it comes to finding traffic (after they have tapped out the family and friends resources), it is of course obvious that Patric has added some convenient upsells to his product. As you can see below this isn’t the “free” system that he insinuates in his sales letter
This is actually a clever way of getting you through his proverbial door, as most newbies will need that training to even start generating cash so will more likely sign up to his membership system which has a monthly fee of $47 bucks.
The Pro Version
You can pay Patric some more money and get access to the leads generated by the system. In other words, you can start to take control away from Patric and into your own hands.
The Membership Area
The training is provided by videos, and there are a lot of those to be fair. Content wise they are not too bad.
It didn’t rock my world, especially with the monthly price tag attached to it, but it is a reasonable selection of training resources suitable for newbie all in one place.
The Flip Side
I am by nature a little bit wary and conservative about the next big thing from the Gurus. I have been burnt too many times not to be.
That being said, I can see some usefulness in this product from a newbie standpoint. Internet marketing is a multi-skill endeavor; you need to learn various different things to different levels in order to succeed, such as copywriting, website creation, etc.
CB Passive Income does take most of that away from you, allowing you to focus on simply learning how to generate traffic. If used as a starting point it may actually be beneficial for some people. Others who like to be in the thick of it and have full control probably won’t like it though.
The Bottom Line: Is CB Passive Income a Scam?
It’s definitely different than most other money generation systems out there. I have my concerns about having that control taken from you, and how much you will learn about internet marketing in general. All of those “no experience required!” claims do not do the program any favors. I wouldn’t label it a scam, but I wouldn’t sing its praises from the roof tops either.
Freelancing has been a maddening business for me. Not only am I a full-time freelance writer, but I’m also a part-time accountant, lawyer, artist, marketer, reporter, videographer, programmer and salesperson. I’ve lined up speakers and engaged in contract negotiations. I’ve finagled the nuances of SEC law and formulated CTR goals for AdWords campaigns. I’ve given presentations in corporate board rooms and then gone off to play with Legos® at a client’s waiting room. And all this was done in the name of freelance writing, no less.
Sometimes the whirlwind of freelance “writing” activities tires me out. In the midst of querying my hundredth potential client or sending yet another LOI (letter of introduction), I consider whether working with a freelance agency would be better for my sanity.
What is a freelance agency?
A freelance agency is a type of business that subcontracts freelancers to do work that is found and negotiated through the agency. This work is then passed along to the freelancers. Clients typically know that their work is being performed by one or more freelancers when dealing with a freelance agency; however, in some cases, the agency may just be one person who hires other freelancers for his/her gigs and claims their work as his/her own. Check out the Custom Content Council (CCC) for examples of large, well-known agencies in the content marketing field.
Why do freelance agencies exist?
Many freelancers who have freelanced for years or decades eventually start accumulating so many clients that they can’t possibly keep up with the workload. Rather than turn away the additional work, these freelancers subcontract the work out to other freelancers and share in its revenue.
Alternately, an agency may be the result of a freelancer who is good at marketing to and attracting clients but doesn’t want to do the assigned work anymore. Such a freelancer is happier overseeing the day-to-day operations of the freelance business itself rather than getting involved in the work. As a freelancer, you yourself may eventually wish to start a freelance agency.
Why you should work with a freelance agency.
There are some good reasons why you may want to work with a freelance agency:
No more marketing- ever.
Some freelancers truly hate the song-and-dance that is marketing. They’d rather focus their time and efforts on doing actual freelance work instead of emailing, querying, cold calling, etc. To that end, a freelance agency is the best solution because it does all the prep work for the freelancer and then simply “serves” the finished client to him/her.
No more payment issues.
Generating contracts and including multiple “what if” clauses regarding late and no payment from the client are a real pain in the a–. However, without that contract covering your a–, you have no legal recourse should your client decide to not pay you or skip out on your final installment. Freelance agencies understand contracts and take care of them for you so you can focus solely on your work. Agencies also have your back in case a client tries to stiff you on payment.
Steady work.
Freelancing can be a feast-or-famine business depending on how many clients you can snag and ensure payment from. An agency helps you even out your schedule by offering extra work when you’re low on clients or redirecting work when you’re overwhelmed.
Hard-to-reach clients.
Government clients are notorious for being hard to win; many government contracts are also only negotiated through selected agencies that know the legal nuances of governmental bidding processes. Thus, if you want to >bid on U.S. government contracts, you first need to buddy-up with a freelance agency.
Big name clients.
Microsoft, Verizon and other big corporations work with dedicated (e.g., CCC) agencies and will only answer through them. Alternately, if you are just starting out as a freelancer and don’t have the experience and credibility to win big name/budget clients on your own, an agency can help by making the necessary introductions. In either scenario, it’s a good idea to have the agency work with and recommend you to these big fish.
Why you should not work for an agency.
Of course, for every pro there is a con. Not every freelance worker wishes to work with a freelance agency. Here are some reasons why:
The middleman effect.
When you have one additional layer between you and the client, that layer must take its cut before it passes the revenue to you. As a consequence, you end up doing the same work for less money. Furthermore, there is the risk that an agency may accept and distribute low paid work simply to keep clients happy and/or generate steady work for its freelancers.
Limited negotiations.
Not happy with your assignment or hourly rate for assignment X? Too bad. Even if you’re a brilliant negotiator, many an agency will not let you contact the client in order to raise your pay. Even if you are allowed to discuss compensation directly with the client, you still have to involve your agency during negotiations, making the process much more cumbersome.
Not seeing the big picture.
Many freelancers start feeling like a cog in the freelance machine after a few years of working with an agency. This is because the agency negotiates and deals with the clients, not you. As a result, the agency ends up creating and planning the work and all possible future work with the client. Meanwhile, you are at the end of the chain and can only fulfill what was promised by someone else. It’s kind of like being employed- something you sought to escape when you became a freelancer.
So…should you or shouldn’t you?
There are many reasons to consider using the services of a freelance agency, as highlighted above. Speaking from personal experience, I have used agencies and later decided to go it alone. My biggest reason for initially using agencies was to gain experience and clips in certain fields. After a few years, I felt certain enough about my own skills to pitch clients directly. I was also able to pick up former agency clients on my own terms.
If you just want to do the work you were hired to do and not worry about accounting, taxes and rate negotiations, working with an agency can be a real boon. An agency also offers steady work, something that may be missing when you first start out as a freelancer. As you gain confidence in your abilities and want to charge top dollar for them, breaking out on your own makes more sense.
Summer just started as of last week, shifting my thoughts towards camping, hiking, swimming as well as taking a well-deserved vacation. However, as a freelancer, I don’t just accrue paid time off like a regular employee. My time off goes unpaid. And even if I didn’t mind taking unpaid time off, the fact remains that I have so many deadlines to meet that I can’t see when (if ever) I’ll be able to get away from it all.
Many freelancers simply end up working through their vacations. These working vacations are easy to do, especially when all you need is your laptop and an Internet connection. This has happened to me on more occasions than I care to admit; for example, I recall sighing with relief last year when I found out that my “rustic” campsite had an electrical outlet that would accommodate my laptop. I even know of one freelancer who worked during his honeymoon!
How do you, as a freelancer, manage to take a vacation when you’re always on call with clients and have endless assignments to finish? Here are some sage pieces of advice I’ve picked up along the way:
Accrue work instead of hours
Employees accrue a certain amount of paid time off while they work their 9-to-5 shifts. Likewise, you need to start accruing what I call “paid work off.” Instead of just completing your assignment for this week and letting future assignments languish, do a little of next week’s work now- say 25%. The following week, finish that 25% complete assignment and put in 50% on the following week’s work. In just four weeks, you’ll have an extra assignment ready to go when you’re ready to take a week off.
Alternately, start generating an extra assignment that will cover you for a week or two should you leave on a vacation. You need not finish this assignment right away; instead, just work on it when you have a little extra time. You’ll soon have a good stockpile of extra work to throw at your clients while you’re sipping a daiquiri in Cozumel.
Scale back during vacation months
If you habitually take a few weeks off during the months of June, July and August, start scaling back now on finding new clients or engaging in new projects. Maintain status quo and get your current deadlines under control. And perhaps most importantly, don’t get involved in rush jobs, no matter how tempting.
What happens if a really lucrative job offer comes up or a really juicy client appears? In my experience, I’ve had the best outcomes by simply stating that I’m due to go on vacation soon but will be happy to help out when I return. Most reasonable clients understand the need for a vacation, and hardly any job is a real rush job when you think about it.
Outsource- if you can
I find it really hard to outsource my tasks and am known to be a bit of a control freak. You may have the same problem with outsourcing (or not). But if you can find it at all possible to have someone else email project updates to your clients or publish your blog posts in your absence, by all means get that person on board. You may even consider tag teaming with another freelancer who can perform your work while you’re MIA and then have you return the favor while he or she is on vacation. Likewise, consider hiring a virtual assistant who can perform essential tasks during your hiatus.
Don’t go AWOL on your clients
It’s OK to take a vacation. Really. And your clients should be able to understand that. Thus, even if you plan to take your laptop and check your email daily, let your clients know that you’ll be at least partially away from your desk and/or out of Internet reach. Its better that they know ahead of time rather than swamp you with email messages such as these:
6/24 Deadline project due tomorrow
6/25 Reminder: Deadline project due today
6/25 Hello? Where are you?
6/26 You better pray I don’t find you…
Don’t forget to turn on your email “out-of-office” auto-responder and generate a similar “out-of-office” voicemail on your phone because your clients may forget about your upcoming vacation. You can also leave your emergency contact phone number with your clients; this way, if something really dire pops up, they’ll know that they can reach you.
Disappear!
Once you’ve planned everything out and notified your clients, it’s time to go away and take an actual vacation. Forget about work and truly enjoy your time off. That work will be back all too soon.
If you absolutely must…
Work, that is, then just do the bare necessities. Don’t fire up your laptop to send a few quick press releases just to find yourself checking and responding to your emails hours later. Stay away from any time-wasters (ahem, Plants vs. Zombies) and keep to work-related matters only. If all else fails, have your spouse, vacation buddy, bartender or even a stop watch on hand and ready to remind you of how long you’ve been at work while on vacation.
This past weekend I made my homemade line of deodorants affectionately called People Stink! While cooking up a batch of lavendar or cedarwood-scented deodorant, I started thinking about the empty deodorant containers I’d purchased online. The online ads for those containers had been pretty dry, providing just a lot of information about the size, shape and physical resiliency of the plastic that was being used to house the deodorant. The pictures weren’t much better and simply featured container specifications like dimensions.
In contrast, the ads that I create for my own finished deodorants are quite flowery and contain lots of nice pictures with backdrops of trees, herbs and candles.
Is my advertising method better?
While I’d love to brag about my marketing prowess, the real answer here is that neither the deodorant container nor the finished deodorant advertising is any better, just different. And the reason it’s different is because each type of advertising is targeting a different market: B2B or B2C.
B2B (business-to-business) marketing involves selling goods and services to businesses that either use these products in their daily operations or generate other goods and services from them. B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing involves selling goods and services to end-point consumers who utilize them for household or personal use. So, regarding deodorant containers, the B2B market is being targeted; regarding the finished deodorant, the B2C market is the target.
B2B vs. B2C markets are different at the following levels:
1. Small vs. big.
The B2B market is typically composed of a few and very specific customers. The B2C usually has a large and rather undefined audience.
2. Relationship vs. product.
B2B customers focus on the business relationship and how it will improve their bottom line through product support (e.g., tech support), longevity (how long will the product line “live” before being discontinued) and distribution (the availability of this product on a national or international level). B2C customers emphasize the product itself, the transaction (i.e., coupons/discounts) and the product’s perceived value vs. money spent.
3. Sales cycle.
B2B customers must be “courted” for a long time before the sale occurs; B2C customers have a shorter or even a “rush” time frame (e.g., midnight madness sale).
4. Rational vs. emotional.
B2B marketing takes a more rational and information-heavy approach (e.g., white papers and case studies) and target customers who must eventually purchase products for their businesses; B2C marketing benefits from emotional appeals (e.g., “you deserve a delicious candy bar”) and relies on impulse purchasing.
5. Ad styles.
Unique and infrequent ads that help educate the customer are the preferred marketing strategy for B2B advertising; frequent and repetitive ads that are low on content and high in memorable images or humorous punchlines are typically used in B2C advertising.
For the affiliate marketer who is trying to target a B2B market, general marketing strategy should include finding out who the customers are, what specific items they sell to their own customers, and how that particular business model could take advantage of the products you are trying to sell. For example, if you are trying to market high-end tools to B2Bs, you’ll want to know which specific companies employ contractors and what types of jobs these contractors do for their customers. Based on this information, you can write content directed at those businesses and state how your tools will help them generate more revenue, cut total purchase costs, have fewer workplace accidents, etc.
You B2B ads would be heavy on content and statistical information and light on flashy pop-ups and graphics. Your marketing campaigns would take a long time to complete, meaning that some of your target customers would not buy any product from you for months. However, when you finally did “land” one of your target clients, the generated revenue would be huge and likely ongoing.
Alternately, if your objective is to market to B2Cs, you’d want to gather customer demographic information like disposable income, age and employment status. Going back to the high-end tools example, you’d also want to know how many of your B2C customers are homeowners and/or own vehicles. Your advertising strategy would consist of lots of product photos and emphasize limited time only discounts or other offers. The ads would also be season and/or holiday-specific (e.g., buy Dad these tools for Christmas).
While your marketing campaigns would not need to last long before a sale occurred, the revenue generated per sale would be much smaller. Also, you would need to have recurring campaigns and offer different promotions on an ongoing basis. Coupons and “today only” offers would have to be heavily emphasized. You would also need to devote some resources to product returns and/or complaints.
B2B vs. B2C social media strategy
There are many social media platforms out there and each one is best used for a certain market. For B2B customers, you can use the following platforms:
Twitter: With its emphasis on promoting links, Twitter can be used to direct B2B customer to information-rich content pieces like white papers, articles and product reports.
LinkedIn: Heavily used by businesses, LinkedIn is a great place to network with other businesses while promoting your products and providing information on product history and features, customer testimonials and stories, infographics, customer/technical support, etc.
Blog: Creating and maintaining a blog on your product website allows you to advertise your products in a more approachable manner and share personal stories with your customers. This turns potential customers into loyal readers who are bound to return.
For B2C marketing, the following platforms work better:
Facebook: This platform is ideal for showing off product photos and generating customer enthusiam. Facebook is also able to handle product coupons and special offers.
Pinterest: A newer social media platform than Facebook, Pinterest is growing in popularity and use. It is heavily graphics-focused and offers significant opportunity to generate excitement about a product. Photos are easily shared and promoted on this platform, enabling novel and/or unique products to go viral.
Blogs: Recruiting brand ambassadors who have their own blogs and large followings is a great and low-cost way to generate product interest and sales. These bloggers can sponsor free product giveaways, host Twitter parties, and solicit product reviews from their followers.
YouTube: Showing off your products in creative ways through video can generate significant B2C customer enthusiasm and have your marketing message go viral.
Is B2B or B2C better for affiliate marketers?
Each market, whether it be B2B or B2C, comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. With B2B, you must provide a lot of rich and informative content to customers who may not buy anything from your website for months or even years. However, when that critical sale occurs, it’s going to be big and probably recurrent.
On the other hand, B2C customers will be easier to win over with low-information content that might only take a few days to generate several immediate sales. Unfortunately, such sales are more likely to be a one-time deal and low revenue; constant marketing is necessary to get repeat customers.
In the end, which type of market you choose to target will be dependent on your personal style and preferences. If you are patient, don’t mind generating high-information content and like to play with facts and figures, B2B marketing is the way to go. However, if you’d rather see some immediate rewards for your work and prefer getting people excited about a novel product or service, then B2C marketing may be more your thing.
Networking will only take you so far in your search for freelance jobs; sometimes you just need the critical mass of many potential clients looking for freelancers. Job boards are an excellent place to find that critical mass.
Not all job boards are created equal, however. Some job boards act as third-party agents (i.e., middlemen) between the freelancer and potential client; this is bad because middlemen job boards typically skim a portion of the freelancer’s earnings and make it difficult to negotiate with the client. Other job boards (e.g., eLance, oDesk) force freelancers into a “bidding war” against each another, causing them to undercharge their services during the freelance “race to the bottom,” as quoted by Carol Tice.
This Facebook-based job board and networking site is managed by Brian Scott of FreelanceWriting.com and publishes several job listings per day. Most of the gigs are centered on writing and/or editing and cover a range of genres including blogging, ghostwriting, copywriting, e-course development, etc. Some of the posted jobs even call for freelance editors/supervisors that manage other writers and editors. Some of the listed jobs are location-specific, but most allow you to work from home and online.
This site lists mostly software developer (e.g., Java), programmer (e.g., C++) and designer jobs (e.g., graphic), with about half of them being freelance. The job board itself is part of Smashing Magazine. Perusing the site, I also found jobs for writers, ad managers and consultants. It would be nice to see more freelance jobs posted on this site- but I’m betting a lot of the employed ones eventually allow telecommuting. Smashing Magazine also offers a good number of helpful resources and articles.
One of the reasons I love LinkedIn is its high-quality job board that can be tailored to find almost any position. By going to the jobs tab of LinkedIn and hitting “Advanced Search,” you can use keywords to narrow down your job search and find every “freelance whatever” position that is currently listed. You can also have LinkedIn send you daily email alerts of all the jobs that match your selection criteria. Because clients must pay a hefty fee to LinkedIn for listing an open position, there is little chance of finding spam or scams here.
The name rightly suggests that you’ll find mostly blogging jobs here; however, after perusing (a word that actually means carefully examining) ProBlogger’s job board, you can find lots of other gigs too like website testing, editing, newswriting and copywriting. What I don’t like about ProBlogger is that, on occasion, a content mill “job” slips through and gets posted. Overall, though, the site offers a wide range of writing gigs that pay a decent rate per hour or task.
This site sounds like another iteration of ProBlogger and it kind of is, except that BloggingPro seems (at least to me) to list an even greater number of blogger positions than ProBlogger, with just a smattering of writer and journalist positions thrown in for fun. About 3-4 new job leads are provided on a daily basis. BloggingPro also maintains its own blog (where you can submit a post), publishing lots of useful information there on jobs, writing, social media, etc.
If you’re looking for editing or writing opportunities in well-known magazines and trade publications, then Media Bistro’s job board is the place to go. Many but not all of the posted jobs are location-specific; however, you can also specify that only telecommute positions be shown. Membership on the site is required before you can look over the job listings; luckily, you can sign up absolutely free. Paid AvantGuild membership is $45/year and comes with additional perks like insider information on how to pitch national magazines.
This job board is fairly easy to use- you simply input the type of job you’re looking for and in which geographic location. As a freelancer, specifying a location is kind of pointless and you do have the option of just leaving that area blank. Following your site search, about half the jobs that come back are freelance/contract in nature. There are various jobs available, from software development to programming to writing. What I like about SoloGig is that it tracks your keyword-based searches while you go job searching (assuming you sign up with the site); doing so helps the job board adapt to your job preferences over time.
Another easy-to-use job search board is offered on Journalism Jobs. You can select for only freelance positions by inputting “freelance” into the keyword area prior to running your search. Most of the listed jobs involve some form of writing or editing; however, I did find forum moderator, market analyst, videographer and application designer positions offered too. It costs clients $75 to create a single category job posting on Journalism Jobs, which helps cut down on get-rich-quick and spam postings.
According to 37Signals, heavy hitters like Facebook, Apple, American Express and The New York Times have posted jobs to its job board. Just looking through the site, I also found other big names include CNET, Adobe, Yelp and Bloomberg. The site is very tech-heavy and is probably best intended for website developers and programmers.
By using long-tail keywords like “Freelance Technical Writer” to search this job board, you come up with a quite a number of decent-paying and legitimate jobs. There are some pitfalls, however: the site relies heavily on imported postings from Craigslist, which I consider another “race to the bottom” job board that leads to underpaid (or unpaid) work. Ironically, I actually had better luck on this site when I avoided using the search term “freelance,” of all things.
What about paid job boards?
Are you more likely to find a decent job if you pay for access to a specific job board? I say no. Having been given access to a number of paid job boards, I find that most of what you pay for is the human effort of sifting through publicly available jobs and posting them to one site. However, those jobs are still out there- and can be easily reached by simply searching my above listed sites. In fact, many of the paid-for job boards that I have access to actually mention taking job postings from the above listed sites like Facebook4Freelancers and ProBlogger. To quote Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun.
However, should you wish to try some paid job boards, here are the ones I recommend:
This site offers some choice jobs that you can click on and read; however, applying to these positions requires a $7/month subscription. Because FreelanceSwitch hand picks some good paying jobs that are limited in applicants due to the subscription fee, you may wish to consider shelling out a few bucks and seeing if this place will work out for you.
Carol Tice, a six-figure freelance writer whom I interviewed last month, operates and offers The Freelance Writers Den, where one can access a “no-junk” job board, forum, classes, interviews and other goodies. Because the Den requires a subscription fee of $25/month, I state that its job board is a paid-for paid job board. I recommend this job board because many of its listings are personal referrals by Carol herself; thus, you’d be unlikely to find them anywhere else online. As a side note, I joined the Den last month and have secured two writing gigs already thanks to those internal job referrals.
This site has been on my RADAR screen for a while and several other freelancers have recommended its job board. To access this site, however, you need to pay $14.95/month to $49.95/year. Still, the fee may be worthwhile if it saves you time on sifting through Craiglist-type spam ads and other low-paying junk.
Here are the latest submissions for my weekly scam roundup. If you have received any similar emails, PLEASE post them in the comments below. By posting the emails, you will directly be helping other people by exposing scam artists!
If you’re researching a “job offer” and it is listed on this page, it is 100% absolutely guaranteed to be a scam. Stop talking with your “employer” AT ONCE. You are at risk of losing thousands of dollars and your identity. You could even end up with a criminal record if the authorities get involved. Do NOT do work for them and click on the links below to find out what to do next.
Scam Email #1
We have received your resume from totaljobs.com. We are pleased to extend an offer to join Titan Advisers Ltd as a Financial Support Agent.
The compensation for the position includes 27600 on annual base salary; 8% commission for each complete transaction.
Job Title for F.S. Agent.: You’ll be submitting and receiving funds from our clients, insuring that every transaction executed in timely manner.
The offer is contingent on a successful background check. In addition, you will be required to register in our online system.
Please let me know if you have any questions, I will gladly guide through the registrations process.
Titan Advisers Ltd offers a comprehensive approach and unified platform that helps IT organizations cut cost, reduce risk, and drive business profit. We understand that business thrives when IT runs smarter, faster, and stronger.
Great Benefits, Comfortable Work Environment.
Titan Advisers Ltd fosters a diverse and inclusive environment in two primary ways: recognition of the unique strengths and value that people from all over the world bring to the company and the creation of strategic alliances with community organizations and businesses that help to contribute to employee growth and success. Titan Advisers Ltd values skills and experience, and we offer benefits and compensation that are competitive with other IT companies. In addition, we reward performance – by the company, the team, and the individual.
With over 100 employees worldwide, Titan Advisers Ltd provides employees with career advancement opportunities, great benefits, and a comfortable work environment. In some positions and locations, we offer the opportunity to have flexible work hours and to work from home.
The position being offered is for Financial Support Agent.
Job requirements:
– Minimum 18 y.o.;
– constant internet access;
– home or mobile phone number;
– regular bank account (current/savings) or a Verified Premier or Business PayPal account.
Base salary 1,500 GBP is paid at the end of probationary period (once employed on the regular basis, base salary 1,800 GBP is paid on the last business day of the month) via wire transfer directly to your bank account. Your 8 commission will be deposited along with every transfer. We will let you know how much of the amount deposited is your commission and how much needs to be transferred, all fees are paid from money received, you won’t have to invest your own money.
Employment benefits (upon completion of 30 days trial period):
– Paid holidays;
– Dental and Health;
– Professional development programs
Refer to the links below for additional information.
Based on your resume which you submitted on Learn4good, we are happy to acknowledge it. We hereby declare interest to have you as one of our staff at MARTINIQUE GENERAL HOSPITAL in accordance with our
recruiting process. We confirm to you that you have been given a conditional job offer letter attached to this email for your careful perusal.
However, in order to complete your Employment Offer Formalities, carefully read the (Authorization to work) section of our website at http://www.martiniquegeneralhospital.com. You are strictly required to follow the guidelines as outlined on our website and complete the process before the required time and date. Failure to complete your employment formalities before the required date outlined in our website will automatically result to your job offer being revoked and transferred to another job seeker.
Your job contract document has to be finally approved and recognized by the administration department of MARTINIQUE GENERAL HOSPITAL. In this area, you are required to sign and accept the contract documents or decline it and forward it accordingly to the administration department for further action:
Note that this formality procedure must be followed and completed as the completion of this procedure confirms you as an official staff of MARTINIQUE GENERAL HOSPITAL.
Bear in mind the fact that the procedures outlined in our website mustnbe carried out immediately due to time factor.
For further clarifications, you may wish to contact the Hiring Coordinator of MARTINIQUE GENERAL HOSPITAL with the information below:
Name of Contact: Jerry Lewis
Email: admin@martiniquegeneralhospital.com
support@martiniquegeneralhospital.com
Tel: +1 586 207 7590
Fax: +1 586 207 7591
Best wishes,
MARTINIQUE GENERAL HOSPITAL
Administration Department
Jerry Lewis- Hiring Coordinator
The Attached Contract:
Martinique General Hospital
CHU de Fort-de-France Service Ses Urgences,
Fort-de-France 97261
Website: http://www.martiniquegeneralhospital.com
Telephone: +1 5862077590
Fax: +1 5862077591
Scam Email #3
Hello,
Here is more information about the job position with Infinity Plus One Inc.
Our main goal, within the company, is to match our clients needs with the best freelancers available, world wide.
The position being offered is for Financial Support Agent.
This is an on-line, home based position. The application process is distant yet vary rigorous. We screen all possible applicants to ensure that long term employment is possible.
Job requirements:
– Minimum 18 y.o.;
– constant internet access;
– home or mobile phone number;
– regular bank account (checking/savings) or a Verified Premier or Business PayPal account.
Employment benefits (upon completion of 30 days trial period):
– Paid holidays;
– Dental and Health;
– Professional development programs
Job description:
The main job responsibility is to stay logged on-line for about 2 hours per day, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 11 am. Receiving specific instructions from a supervisor and following prompt assignments is of most importance. The position deals directly with processing funds from our clients. For security reasons a personal bank account is required during the trial period of 30 days. Once your trial is completed, we will assign you a business account through one of our branches in your area.
During your trial period you will receive between 2 and 3 transfers per week. Invoices are provided for each operation. Along with every operation, you automatically receive the senders, and further the receivers names that the funds belong to.
Salary:
Base salary is $2,300 per month during the Trial Period (is paid at the end of each month) + 8 commission from each successfully handled payment (should be deducted from the money received per task). Total income is about $4,500 per month. After the first 30 days your base salary will be increased up to $3,000 a month.
Refer to the links below for additional information: http://www.infinityplus-one.org/job/finance2?lang=us
Key points:
– No investment of funds on your part;
– Not a sales position, base pay along with commission is guaranteed;
For further information and inquiries you may contact us at j.williams@infinityplus-one.org
Limited Time Offer with a Sign On Bonus! Please follow the link: http://www.infinityplus-one.org/job/fin … us?lang=us
If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity, in order to secure the position and get started with probationary period, you need to create a Task Manager Account on http://www.infinityplus-one.org/registration/1
Thank you for your time and interest with our company.
Best Regards,
Janell Williams
Phone: 1-914-618-5020
Fax: 1-585-410-6004
Scam Email #4
1) Hello dear hope you are not offended by my unexpected message to you. Am Mr JONATHAN GAUNT QC , working with The Queens Chambers London, i am looking for a person or couple to live with us and assist my delightful Grand child Vanessa, I NEED NANNIES/DRIVER/SECURITY/COOK/PERSONAL ASSISTANCE EXPERIENCED OR NOT, I just need someone who is god fearing,loving and natural. we just relocated from American to UK…..I am willing to pay £1,500 per month and allowance of 100 pounds every week,you will have free accommodation and food, so if you are interested you can
reply me back….email:
jonathangaunt47@yahoo.com
Thanks a lot
Mr JONATHAN GAUNT QC
——————————————————-
2) I received your email,am a very busy man,Am an ATTORNEY working with the falcon chambers as head of operation in UK and also in the Queens Council . Your service as either a baby sitter,house maid,security,driver ,only the personal assistance is excluded is to look after my grand-children whose parent passed on in an auto crash not quite long before i relocated to to settle in UK.Other nannies will divide the house work, to men applying ,one will be my driver and the other security over the house,The personal assistance will do the work of my sec in my office plus represent me in local meetings or occasions .If there is any question you want to ask as regard this employment,you are free to ask if you need to see more pictures of the families and baby feel free to ask.
Will pay 1,500 British pounds each every month and an allowance of 100 pounds every week,you can also tell any interested applicant to send resume and required document in my email.I will direct you to an agency here in UK were you can sign the contract form between,they can also process your traveling visa and work permit.You will be contacting them through scan email or visit the agency site.
Note:that as regards your work permit and visa,security deposit,agency overhead,medical,documentation etc will be shared among the two of us,it will not be a toll free processing.
From my own information and observation ,is either the agency handles every processing here or you contact the UK embassy in your country,now what ever way you choose to go about it, money is very much involved,but processing your application with the UK embassy in your country after you sign the contract form they will be needing the sponsorship certificate from me,then my bank account statement,also charges will be paid to the embassy to processing your visa and work permit at the end of the day you stand a 50% chance of getting the visa from the UK embassy in your country,but when applying with the agency here in UK,they process traveling documents direct from the British Home office here in UK,the British home office has higher autonomy than any UK embassies in the world,if traveling documents are processed with them there is nothing like denial.In this regards i will like you to go for the agency.
you can send the following document when contacting with the agency.
A scan copy of you photograph(passport size)
A scan copy of your international passport
your resume or what you know as CV
The above should be emailed to
121socialctagency@gmail.com
or
121socialctagency@gmx.com
For more information or inquiries about the agency,you can visit their website
121 SOCIAL CHILD CARE AND TRAVELING AGENCY
http://121socialtravelingagency.webnode.com
Note:Am not employing you to come work in my chambers,my work to you is personal and is limited to my home,I need five applicant,three nannies, a driver, and a security
