Are You Being Scammed? Empowering Others Through Conversations
Here’s an actual incident
It all began with a submission
This post is going to be pretty straight.
At the end of November 2023, I submitted a post titled “A Quick Checklist To Know if You Are in an Emotionally Safe Relationship” to a publication on Medium. Let’s call the pub “CGTA”.
‘P’ was my assigned editor.
This is the response P left to my post:
Hi Ipshita, I’m an editor with “CGTA”. While emotional safety is an important topic, your story is not personal. I admire you writing in a second language and your writing reads as though you may use AI in parts.
Can you rewrite this story from your own voice? With real examples of how this affects you or friends?
I’m going to remove this story until you have time to edit it.
and this:
Readers would love to hear stories based on YOU and your life. Include life in India and share your own experiences. Good luck in your writing business and I hope to read more! Best wishes.
It was nice of P to provide good feedback on what was not working and what I should do instead. I responded by saying I would rework the post and include her pointers to make it better. (I am yet to do it.)
A few days later P wrote a post on how to use AI for writing. I have bookmarked it because this was an extended yet more detailed version of her earlier feedback on my submission.
I even comment on P’s post appreciating the value addition.
The plot thickens
A week later, “the impersonator of P” responded to my comment. And here is what the person wrote:
I really appreciate your response. Message me on what. sApp +1 (501) 277‑1607
There were two thoughts:
a. Why would someone share her number on WhatsApp? And an editor unable to spell WhatsApp properly!!!! This is a case of impersonation or some elaborate scam.
b. Since I am from a different culture and generally critical and suspicious by nature, maybe I am reading too much into it. The polite thing would be to message P and that's it.
I added P’s number and texted. The number showed up as a business account that joined on 3rd December 2023.
P responded quite fast.
In 3–5 messages, P directly began discussing the Medium community and how much I am earning. Thanks to the continuous awareness drive by our banks and government, it was clear that this is NOT P. You don’t jump onto money matters in 5 seconds.
During our exchange of messages, I stated that since I am from India and the Medium Partner Program is not operational here, I cannot join it or get paid. The impersonator insisted that there is a way and people do earn a lot circumventing the rules.
I was asked to connect with another well-known author (and writer on Medium) on Telegram and join the Medium Content writing business since I won’t otherwise get paid for writing on Medium. (I had taken all the information exchange screenshots for proof.)
On connecting with this author and writer on Telegram, in a few minutes, there was a flurry of messages back and forth. The person took my full name, mobile number, email address, country of residence, and my writing experience. The first four pieces of information are available online.
Then came the offer — pay $50 and join the program. You will get a mentor so even if your writing is not up to the mark (which it is not) you will get paid $31 for a post each.
Payments are done weekly.
Believe your gut
It was clear.
My first thought — option “a.” was correct.
This was an impersonation and scam. The names of two established writers on Medium were used to dupe those trying to come up.
I have saved all the interactions and screenshots. The one with the supposed ‘P’ gave me the WhatsApp number to connect and the subsequent conversation on WhatsApp and Telegram to join the Medium content writing scheme and how to earn.
Another writer has a similar story to tell. I had written my experience to publish but it needed some edits. Meanwhile, this post was published. The point is a lot of such activities are going on everywhere and even on Medium.
Was I a random target?
Did they target me because of my post title and comments, equating words like emotional safety to weakness?
Was it all that and because I am a woman? I don’t have the answers but others like me are targeted too.
Fraud and scams are financial as well as mental abuse crimes. If you have been targeted, you must share your experience to increase awareness and protect others. Your proactive steps can help save many others.
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
~ Maya Angelou
Ipshita Guha is an ambivert. She aspires to be a ghostwriter for solopreneurs, SMB owners, C-suite and corporate executives. She hopes to vicariously live the second half of her life through those exciting lives. She also writes about Mindset and stuff on Medium, LinkedIn, Twitter, and her website.
