Scam warning to all creatives

Please spread this WARNING to anyone who does creative freelance work or language translation!

I received an email from “Adam Johnson”, asking for a Web site quote. The email was poorly written but gave Florida and London addresses for his business. I asked how he found us but he would not say.

His company alleged company “Adam Farms & Co.” an import/export company of cocoa. It seemed a bit dodgy but I played along for a while and sent them an estimate. After a week or so I received another email stating that a check had been mailed but that their accountant had issued it for a larger amount than intended. They requested that I deposit the check and send them the balance. Well, that prompted me to do some research. The first few links on Google said “SCAMS!” Fortunately, I was suspicious and did not deposit their checks (they sent several). I knew that the bank would hold me liable for any bad checks deposited into my account.

Always research ALL potential clients. Do not accept any checks written upfront for 100% of a project you haven’t even started.

Pass the word along. If a job seems strange, pass it up. I got out of this one just in the nick of time!