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featherlinnea · 2 years

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Protect yourself and others from Scams

Years ago, probably, I wrote a journal, that was super messy, but to help people avoid being scammed. Please share these with people you think could fall victim to a scam or are being scammed.

Now what is a scam?

A scam is quiet simply the process of someone lying to you in order to get money. Mostly in a way they cannot legally be charged or be accounted for, so you are out of your money and can’t do anything about it.

Or google by definition: “ a dishonest scheme; a fraud. “ “swindle”

Let me give you some examples:

E-mail and Phone call scams:

I get plenty of spam E-mails. For Example where they say “You won car/card/etc” despite never participating in anything. Or “your Antivirus is running out/found a virus”. I often get things like “Your package has been sent”, “Congratulation, blabla couldn’t reach you”, “Weight loss 14kg in one month!?” and all the fun stuff. Some people may also get “Your Social Security number has been compromised”, etc. Stuff that is worrisome but actually just a lie.

These e-mails are all infact scams. None of them would/will deliver on their promise, they are lies. Most phone-calls go the same way. Calling you about for example some expired software or false reports etc.

In the end the scams will end in you sending money as a “fee” so you can get what they promised- but they never do. It is a scam after all.

-Also never! Never ever open links from your e-mail. Especially from paypal or amazon for example, go over the usual way, google, website, log-in, but not over the link in the e-mail. You can check this way if whatever the e-mail is claiming is true, if you don’t find anything, it is a scam! Some scammers are very good at faking these E-mails, so be extra careful.

-Also: check grammar, spelling mistakes and most important the E-mail adress, you’ll often see very very different e-mail addresses than what the actual support e-mail of the websites are. Spelling and wording is often an indicated as well.

-These type of scams can also be on websites/apps in messages claiming to be from support/moderator/admins

Pop-up scams

Ever gone on a website and suddenly a pop-up comes up saying your computer has a virus? To call a specific number? Adds also often contain scams on more dubious websites.

Yep, those are scams. Websites and especially pop-ups cannot diagnose wether or not your computer has a virus.

So what these scams likely lead to is, that they ask you to download a program similar or even anydesk to gain remote access to your computer.

They’ll pretend with the console that they check and found a virus, they make you pay for the “repair” or and after lock you out of your computer and demand money to unlock it.

-Similarily the refund and cancelation scams:

E-mail, phone-call or so forth telling you to call the number in order to cancel a service you likely never ordered in the first place, for example an Antivirus software. They’ll also want to connect to your computer, make you open your bank account and with some html fake having send a shit ton of money to you. They then beg you in order to save their job to send back the money minus the refund. However, they infact never send you money. They only made it look like it.

For cancelations, they’ll likely ask for a “cancelation fee”. But it all goes down similarily. You pay the fee, they lock your computer, you pay more.

Packages, and money laundering:

In some cases, you’ll be ask as a result from scams, like cancelation fee or refund scam, to buy for example google play cards from multiple stores and send them to an adress in a package.

They could also ask you to send them the cash in a box/letters instead of cards, but it is still sending it of physically.

You might also be a person that receives packages that they tell you not to open.

Most of the time, they’ll send it to an adress where one of the scammers co-workers can pick it up and then send it to the scammers.

If you are asked to pay with google pay/amazon or any sort of store card, especially asked to put them in a box and send them off? 100% a scam.

Romance Scams

Lots of people are lonely no? You go on a dating app or website and get a match. You talk and flirt and then you hear that the person you like is financially struggling, you may offer to help or they straight up ask for money.

Could be for gas/diapers/groceries whatever. The point where it really becomes obvious that you are being used as a cash grab is when they ask for more.

You’ll also never see a cent of it back.

On top of that, you’ll either encounter someone who just wants a sugar daddy/momma/piggy bank or a catfish.

Likely you’ll sent money over paypal as friends and family or any app the scammer wants you to pay with, and poof money is gone forever and you can’t claim it back.

Recruitment/job scams

Okay this is really quick. You NEVER have to pay the job you work for just to work for them. They are meant to pay you, not you them.

If you do fall for it, you’ll likely don’t even get paid or get paid even less than expected. Most of these are super shady businesses, so as an extra advice:

don’t do any job that is illegal or likely very shady.

-Extra advice, always read your contract before signing and get a copy of the signed contract. If you are not fine with the contract, don’t sign.

Business/Artist/Commission Scams

Artists often do commissions, so lets take small business and artists as example.

You commission some and all is great, they took the commission and give you updates, you pay... And weeks go buy, with or without business, eventually you are over deadline and no product in sight.

At this point if you did not have frequent updates or any updates the artist will continue making excuses and more time passes. Eventually when for example paid with paypal, after 6 months you cannot get your money back, the artist blocks you and cuts contact. At that point they sucessfully stole your money.

Now: I do like to mention, that some artists just take upon to much work/might actually have an emergency and so forth. But they will tell you such. Popular Artists, have a query, so it could take a while before they get to you, but you’d certainly see them complete their orders after another.

Bad businesses do not update you/no proof to the updates/take upon more commissions despite yours not being completed. Read the goddamn reviews. Even more, some may just look awful, could be spiteful customers for whatever reason, however if you see more of such, ask for the customers experience. Some scammers will deliver products to customers while also scamming the other half, to continue to seem like a legitimate functioning business.

Good businesses, keep in touch. Smart business have the time-frame of order completion (not counting delivery) in their T.o.S.

Always read the T.o.S. If you don’t like the T.o.S then don’t buy. Some artists or scammers specifically state that they will not refund or and that you can’t even use what you purchased. If you do they’ll fine you or similar, so while reading these long texts is exhausting, it is to protect yourself from any legal repercussions.

Also remember, do not pay with family and friends, that is essentially “gifting” people money. Actual freelance artist need to send you an invoice, because they also have taxes to pay! Similar to serious businesses, they’ll send you bills with tax(unless it is ruled differently, however at least in Germany such also has be mentioned on the bill)

If an artist/business, gives a lot of excuses, doesn’t update/show proof, perhaps even have an attitute or ask you to pay more, are long over the deadline-, I definitely suggest to cancel your order and get your money refunded. But dang make sure to have read their T.o.S, and make sure that they didn’t update it in order to scam you.

Customer scamming you the business

Ah it also goes the other way around!

The easiest way to protect yourself as a business/artist/freelancer is a clear T.o.S. Alias Terms of Services. Petty customers or scammers will try to find any sort of loophole to scam you out of your money.

But some of the once I know are “Empathy Scams” or “My kid purchased without me knowing”.

With Empathy, they’ll likely say that they “accidently” bought it or forgot they needed the money for bills. They’ll beg you to refund them, while you likely already sent/finished or are in the making of the product. They are specifically going for your empathy. Maybe even throwing in the “my mother died/my kids birthday/christmas etc”, but these are all lies, also often attempts from choosing beggars to get something for free or a discount. Business is business, remember that most business offer “luxury items”, art btw counts as a luxury, it is not a necessity, therefore if you can’t afford don’t buy. Some may also start blaming you when you refuse that it is your fault “kids won’t have gifts/birthday-holiday is ruined/she or kid is crying”, all that to just get a free product and or their money as well.

In other, you’ll get a message back that they want a refund, because the kid bought the item and hey maybe stole credit card. in these they likely also already received the product from you.

In these scenarios: Your T.o.S is of utmost importance.

-I’d also limit the amount a single customer can buy from you per month or amount. You don’t want to be stacked with a massive amount of orders just for the customer not even having the money.

I’d also like to mention: Some people might spent a ridiculous high amount of money on your products. Be extra cautios of such, it isn’t necessarily someone who then skips out on/scams you, but rather mentally ill or/and on a high, maybe drunk, or people with a shopping addiction. So limiting how much can be bought/how much can be spent/ as a single customer, can be good for both sides, especially as small business that likely can’t deal or handle large quantities of orders.

Also, don’t immediately use the money you earned, you never know when a customer finds a hole in your T.o.S and files a lawsuit or similar. Businesses also have taxes to pay, so remember to put money aside for taxes and weird emergencies.

Friends sending you links

Sometimes a friend shoots you up with a link to a giveaway, there you type in your account information, and woops your account is gone. But wasn’t it a friend that send the link?

The problem with these types of scams is, that your friends account, that sends you these scam baits has already fallen for the scam. The scammer uses your friends account to lure all the other contacts into the same scam, and with each account stolen, the scammer sends the next messages with the stolen accounts.

I’ve personally had classmates and family fall for such scam, but it luckily was quickly resolved by the support.

If your friend acts suspicious, try to contact them by other means and see if they were the ones sending the message, if not, then you can quickly inform everyone that the account has been hacked/stolen and to not interact with it, until support has dealt with the issue.

Choosing beggers/Street scams

So first, people on the street begging for money, might actually not need it, but just looking for extra cash. Actually some might use the money for drugs instead.

To see wether or not they actually need money, it is better to offer food/drinks instead, you can see at the reaction if they are grateful and it actually helps or if they just wanted money for drugs or similar.

Some people while shopping, will give you a sob story about how they have little money, maybe even get you to pay for their groceries. You don’t go shopping if you don’t have the money. They are just looking to get more free items this way.

If someone is maybe short like a few cents, that could be real (happend as a kid to me so often haha)

Don’t give strangers money on the street, don’t pull out your wallet in public, you never know if they are going to snatch and run with it.

Cheap products:

Some MLM (Multi-level marketing), especially sell dirt-cheap and poor quality.

If you buy from businesses, check reviews, history and legitimacy of the business. Do they deliver what they promise?

Check T.o.S. any sort of contracts for issues as well.

If anything sold is dangerous for you and everyone, these businesses should then be reported or a law suit be filed against for breach of contract for example.

Businesses just starting out however? Hardly able to prove their legitimacy yet, though if you see poor quality and bad business practices, leave such as a review. If it is dangerous, report.

Some advice:

-“If it is too good to be true, it likely is.” Dunno who said it first though.

-Don’t ever click links, E-mails you weren’t expecting.

-if you do expect a link or so, please be careful if it is someone you don’t know for long. Some people do disguise normal links as downloads to malicious software, that can steal your data and more.

-if a friend sends out-of-character messages it is worth to check on them by other means and see if their account is being misused.

-Don’t send strangers on the internet, money. Especially when you need it for yourself.

-Don’t give strangers money. Actually internet or no, just don’t.

-Watch for the “https” the s stands for secure, more likely to be a serious website than the one without. You can mostly see it, that the “lock” is locked.

-these scammers do not care if you are struggling, don’t interact with them, don’t give them the time of the day. You do not know what they are capable of.

-be suspicious, check wording, spelling, address and claims

-read the fine print (I just recently got out of a contract, because you know I could and wanted too, because it was in the contract, read the contract and the fine print, see if there is anything off)

-VPNs are great to protect yourself and/or your business online. I recommend it.

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If you know of more scams, please let me know! I’ll add them to the list, or by sharing it will be seen. If anything could have been worded better, or if you have a more fitting description, I’d love to qoute you instead then! (if you give me permission first that is haha)

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maikaartwork · 10 months

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Artists, let’s talk about Instagram commission scammers

There’s been a huge rise in commission scammers recently, mostly on Instagram. A lot of new artists don’t know what to look out for, so I figured this might help people.

How they begin

Usually the scammer will write to you asking about a commission. Something deceptively cute - mostly I encounter asks about pet portraits, with one or two photos sent. They’ll probably try to sell you a sweet little story, like “It’s for my son’s birthday”. They will insist that they love your artwork and style, even though they don’t follow you or never liked a single piece of your art.

What to look out for:

Their profiles will either be private, empty, or filled with very generic stuff, dating at most a few years back.

Their language will be very simple, rushed or downright bad. They might use weird emojis that nobody ever uses. They will probably send impatient “??” when you don’t answer immediately. They’re in a crunch - lots of people to scam, you know.

They’ll give you absolutely no guidelines. No hints on style, contents aside from (usually) the pet and often a name written on the artwork, no theme. Anything you draw will be perfect. Full artistic freedom. In reality they don’t really care for this part.

They’ll offer you a ridiculous amount of money. Usually 100 or 300 USD (EDIT: I know it might not be a lot for some work. What I mean here - way higher than your asking price, 100 and 300 are standard rates they give). They’ll often put in a phrase like “I am willing to compensate you financially” and “I want the best you can draw”, peppered with vague praise. It will most likely sound way too good to be true. That’s because it is.

Where the scam actually happens

If you agree, they will ask you for a payment method. They’ll try to get to this part as soon as possible.

Usually, they’ll insist on PayPal. And not just any PayPal. They’ll always insist on sending you a transfer immediately. None of that PayPal Invoice stuff (although some do have methods for that, too). They’ll really, REALLY want to get your PayPal email address and name for the transfer - that’s what they’re after. If you insist on any other method, they’ll just circle back to the transfer “for easiest method”. If you do provide them with the info, most likely you’ll soon get a scam email. It most likely be a message with a link that will ultimately lead to bleeding you dry. Never, and I mean NEVER click on any emails or links you get from them. It’s like with any other scam emails you can ever get.

A few things can happen here:

They overpay you and ask for the difference to be wired back. Usually it will go to a different account and you’ll never see that money again.

They’ll overpay you “for shipping costs” and ask you to forward the difference to their shipping company. Just like before, you’ll never see that money again.

The actual owner of the account (yes, they most likely use stolen accounts to wire from) will realize there’s been something sketchy going on and request a refund via official channels. Your account will be charged with fees and/or you get in trouble for fraudulent transactions.

You will transfer the money from your PayPal credit to your bank account and they will make a shitstorm when they want their money back, making your life a living hell. They will call you a scammer, a thief, make wild claims, wearing you down and forcing you into wiring money “back” - aka to their final destination account.

Never, EVER wire money to anyone. This is not how it’s supposed to go. Use PayPal Invoice for secure exchanges where the client needs to provide you with their email, not the other way around.

You can find more info on that method HERE.

What to do when you encounter a scammer:

Ask the right questions: inquire about the style, which artwork of yours they like, as much details as you can. They won’t supply you with any good answers.

Don’t let the rush of the exchange, their praise and the promise of insanely good money to get to you. That’s how they operate, that’s how they make you lose vigilance.

Don’t engage them. As soon as you realize it might be a scam, block them. The sense of urgency they create with their rushed exchange, and pressure they put on you will sooner or later get to you and you might do something that you’ll regret later.

Never wire money to anyone. Never give out your personal data. Never provide your email, name, address or credit card info.

Don’t be deceived by receiving a payment, if you somehow agree to go along with it. Just because it’s there now doesn’t mean it can’t be withdrawn.

Here is a very standard example of such an exchange. I realized it’s a scam pretty fast and went along with it, because I wanted good screenshots for you guys, so I tried going very “by the book” with it.

Please share this post, make it reach as many artists as possible. Let young or inexperienced artists know that this is going on. So many people have no idea that this is a thing. Let’s help each other out. If you think I missed any relevant info, do add it as an rb!

Also, if you know other scam methods that you think should be shared, consider rb-ing this post with them below. Having a master post of scam protection would AWESOME to have in the art community.

#art resources #artist help #artist advice #commission advice #scammers #instagram scam #please share with your fellow artists

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nelkcats · 1 year

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Voice From Beyond

Danny was bored, really bored inside the Realms, he was supposed to stay there because facing the reality that his "world" was no longer safe, and all his friends were fighting for his safety was too much. But after he got past the paranoia he just couldn't find more things to do to distract himself from the thought.

He had already argued with Skulker, stolen Johnny's motorcycle and even participated in a concert with Ember but nothing improved his spirits. Curiously, it was during a visit to Technus that he found the solution to his problem. It turned out that the radios could broadcast around all the Realms, it was perfect!

The halfa started a radio program. It started out as a curious thing, where he recounted his experiences as a hybrid and the culture of the Realms. In some cases he had special guests to tell of their experiences and what they had done after their death (Jane Austen and Shakespeare looked excited to be able to talk about it!)

And so his program "voice from the afterlife" was born, where he gave various advice to the dead and not so dead; the only thing that Danny didn't notice was that he was not only transmitting in the Realms, but in many universes that picked up his radio signal by a lot of luck. The DC universe got caught up in the mysterious show when it aired. Some said it was impossible, others theorized that it was real, others thought it was just fiction.

But Jason knew it wasn't just fiction, he knew that somehow Danny was real, and had the answers he needed. Jason was determined to prove it, with a little magical help of course.

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victimized-martyr · 2 months

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Sorry I never gave a proper update on tumblr——

here’s some brainstorming doodles from Keo and me on the white board and some examples Keo made in my notebook. I won’t forget it, one of my harshest note was “NEVER draw Kenny in 3/4!! Trey hates that!” 🤣 The story leads stressed that Trey is very particular with acting decisions and poses, most of which don’t translate into the animation. It’s for him at the editing stage, to “make his voice sing”. Getting into Trey’s head, funnily enough, requires FEELING. Feeling what he’s going for in terms of delivery, to learn what not to take literally in his script (when trey says “kathleen kennedy is like terminator” it’s not what you initially think it means), what emotion or gesture to put in to elevate a joke, to get the message through. It’s so fascinating!

In short, I didn’t make the cut. I was “too fresh”, and needed more experience with the technical aspect of storyboarding…. but I was complimented by Keo for my intuition, something that can’t be taught. I was over the moon when I was told I got the style of the show, whereas other trainees with 10+ experience couldn’t. Some of them tested but don’t even watch the show!! That’s crazy, but I guess that’s to be expected. My knowledge of the show and deep love for the characters got me this far, but I need to work on my actual story boarding skills (keo said my struggles are in composition and scaling) to stay!! 💪🏼 I’m taking this… as a not yet, not a no. I’m already on their radar, in their database, I’m incredibly lucky I got to make my THIRD connection in the studio, I just need to work on myself until I can arrive. I’m so grateful for all the support from friends family and industry moots to get me this far, it’s only the beginning of the year but I don’t think anything could top what happened to me this March!!!!!

#south park #kyman #i’m tagging kyman bc the damn ship got me this far too credit where credit is DUE 🤣🤣🤣🤣#behind the scenes #it’s so funny actually I drew in a lil kyman moment in my boards at the studio (not as like a haha i’m a sneak this in. more like. it just.#flows outta me lol)#and when i received notes on that panel the leads didn’t say anything abt my kyman…. they zeroed in and kinda argued w/ each other if i #should have drawn more details for the lockers or not 🤣🤣🤣#Keo came clutch so I followed his advice in not drawing the details but greg insists abt drawing them in #and then they went into ‘well trey doesn’t say anything when I do/don’t draw them in’ and i kinda stood there like 🧍🏻‍♀️#I thought the whole thing was hilarious in the end #maybe I should draw that moment jgkgfjfh #talk tag #I feel like I scammed everyone like…. I’ve never professionally boarded in my life. How the hell did i get this far.

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jessepinwheel · 1 year

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my very serious writing advice for people who are trying to write more morally complex characters is to stop caring about their morality and focus instead on their individual motivations

it’s hard to articulate exactly what I mean, but the essence of it is basically: when a character does a murder, not only do I not care about whether they’re justified in doing so, it’s straight-up irrelevant. a character’s moral standing from some nebulous universal standard has no bearing on the plot or their interactions with other characters and has no use in the story for me as a writer. what does matter is why the character thought they were justified and then if it comes up to other characters, what they think about it.

you can obviously think about your characters’ morality but it’s not your job as a writer to interpret your stories for your readers and tell them how to judge your characters. your readers can see the evidence for themselves and draw their own conclusions. your job is just to understand why a character is motivated to act in a certain way and have it make sense

focusing on character motivations is a much more versatile framework than trying to give them specific personality traits or moral alignments, and frankly more useful to understand why a character would do a certain thing instead of just what they do. that way when something fucked up happens and your character starts acting differently, there’s an actual logical reason for it that isn’t you forcing characters to do things because it’s what’s required to make the plot go

when you write your characters with the understanding that people are not static and they act differently under different circumstances, complexity in character and morality follows naturally.

#honestly I don't think of my stories as being morally complex #like the thought of morality doesn't enter my mind at all #I straight do not care #advice like 'make sure you give your characters some flaws' have always felt very unhelpful to me #traits don't have to be good or bad #they're just traits #whether something is a flaw is heavily context dependent #and trying to build characters from a sum of 'good' and 'bad' just flattens them #this ties back into my other thing about how characterization is a scam #because you can write just about any character by writing a reasonable human person #and just having a good handle on what they want and what they're willing to do to achieve it #that's it #that's all you need #I have a lot of thoughts about this but #at the end of the day #does it really matter if a character is 'right'?#is it not enough to put a character in some situations?

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merakiui · 3 months

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the urge to make azul's birthday fic unrequited love............. temptation is strong, but my resistance is stronger. i will give tako only the happiest of birthday fics (but first he must experience the dreadful thing that is loving someone and feeling like he's running out of time).

#meraki mumbles #peak azul romance is azul giving you business advice and then thinking 'wow i am so good at flirting'#reader talks about getting a summer part-time and azul is already sharing advice on the art of The Summer Scam (overpriced limited menus)#he's doing his best... ;;;;

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red-dyed-sarumane · 4 months

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i need people to start paying me for every time they tell me "oh but ur arts so good ur wasting ur talent u need to do it professionally" wrong i need to do art to draw beautiful characters that not a single other person cares about while feeding every ounce of love i have into my work or to convey thoughts & feelings beyond words and to even think of doing otherwise is to deny my own nature "oh but u can do what u want and then sell it" why is everything about money to you why cant u just enjoy things at what point in ur life did u forget how to have fun

#i hate that this stance is also seen as childish #like i have a full time job & often have mandatory overtime i have income already #if u need to to make ends meet then thats different do what u can to help urself live as comfortably as possible #but holy fuck pleasure as an adult is not limited to sex & money & watching tv #besides u know not a single one of the people who say this are willing to actually pay what the arts worth #its like 'well not me but other people would love it!' yeah okay u know a lot of other people are going to see the #over $100 price tag and go 'i like it but not that much! other people however' like just shut up. honestly. be quiet.#if i speed ran my art and low balled myself to a $15/hour rate the lowest would still be like $120 #which is not worth it AT ALL bc i just paid MORE to sit on my ass & look at eggs #and. again. is underselling myself for both experience & time. but people think $80 full body comms are too expensive #do u think im so stupid to not expect to get scammed when even 'easy' things are over $100 #but no ur right why would i have fun with something when i could instead cause myself infinite stress over it perfect thanks #do not give me advice about doing comms i do not want to do comms #if u see me doing comms im in a very dire situation. like thats a last resort for me.

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smokingstar · 5 months

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How to survive the hype aroud valentines day without supporting big companies, or if you're single

Gifts:

A living flower from your local flower store

A love letter (if you wear lipstick with kisses on it)

A love poem

A drawing/painting of you and your partner (if you dont do art, commission an artist who's style you like)

Thrift an open-up locket and put a picture of you and your partner in it

Date ideas

Collect and paint rocks/shells together

Explore locally owned coffees/pubs/restaurants

Go thrifting and pick uo outfits for each other

Volunteer at your local animal shelter together

embroider or draw something on each other's chlotes

Cook/bake something together

Plant seeds/plants together

Go to the library and pick out books for each other

Watch movies that neighter of you have seen before

For singles

Instead of being sad that you're single, give the love you'd give to your partner to yourself

Go on a walk and take pictures of things that you find beautiful/make you happy

Start a journal of things that make you happy, collect flowers and press them, feathers, trash, just glue everything in it that holds good memories for you (even something as small as a packaging of a delicious snack) or things that you find pretty

If you're not socially anxious, talk to homeless people, most of them are lonely and will gladly talk to you as long as you treat them as a person

Look up natural skin care recipies and try them out (guys too, its not unmanly to have nice skin)

Bake a cake for yourself, you deserve it♡

#valentines day is a capitalist scam #valentines day #valentines gifts #date ideas #love #self love #advice #cheap #my thoughts

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yesmissnyx · 7 months

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How foo ppl find a dom like am i looking the wrong way😭

My Brother (gender neutral) in Kink, this is literally one of the top-most asked questions in the community. You are not alone in your search!

We Dom[mes] aren't nearly as plentiful as subs, in my experience, so there aren't as many to go around. Also, there can be a lot of bad eggs, so it makes good ones even harder to find.

BUT, I will also say, that good subs can ALSO be hard to find, and it's surprisingly easy to set yourself apart when looking for a Dom[me].

My biggest pieces of advice for beginners:

One: KNOW YOUR SHIT. Be knowledgeable about kink. Research. Read community posts (like on Reddit) and well-recommended books on kink. Most (good) Dom[mes] I know are into kink as both a sex thing AND a hobby. We're nerds about it. Learn how to talk about it as a fellow kink nerd, and we'll be at least a little enticed ;)

Two: GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY. Whether in real life or online, get to know other kinksters. Make friends. They will introduce you to their friends. I know this can be tough, depending on where you live and your extroversion levels, but I swear it can be a good way to naturally meet people. Not only will you have a support network of people who Get It if a relationship goes south, but it can filter out abusive assholes.

Three: KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. Explore your fantasies by yourself. Daydream. Fantasize. Experiment and explore. This is a more introspective version of "KNOW YOUR SHIT." I've always appreciated subs who know what THEY like, know THEIR limits, and aren't afraid to negotiate. This can also help you express your needs/kinks to prospective not-exclusively-kinky partners, if you're looking for a life-partner who is willing to take on the role of a Dom[me]!

Four: BE RESPECTFUL AND WORK ON YOURSELF. This should REALLY be a no-brainer, but so many subs are pushy little shits with terrible boundaries and people skills. Don't just message a stranger all like "wah wah step on me 🥺 look at my penis" while bringing literally nothing else to the table. At best, you might get someone horny to sext with. At worst, you might get literally scammed.

Dom[mes] aren't kink dispensers. Nor are we therapists. Remember this.

We're people--just like you!--who want to have fun, interesting and gratifying relationships with compatible people. Work on your people skills. Work on your mental health. Work on your confidence and becoming a well-rounded person. Work on becoming the best version of yourself you can be.

Honestly, a lot of this just works are general relationship advice, because at the end of the day, being a mature, interesting, respectful person who can communicate your needs is extremely sexy and desirable ;)

Hopefully this is helpful to some of you out there looking for a Dom[me]! Good luck on your search!

#ask nyx #kink advice #Please don't get scammed...it's like...weirdly common nowadays 💀

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jacenotjason · 7 months

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How would Howdy and the neighbors react to a store owner in Home that has better prices, better service Basically things Howdy can't and won't do?

he’ll call his mom

#his mom gives him advice on how to continue scamming people #welcome home #welcome home au #welcome home opposite au #howdy pillar

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snarp · 1 year

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The predatory-subscription-model weed vape with the DRM-locked cartridges wants to know your 📍 Location. Allow?

#airgraft #airgraft 2 #scams #the law #i am not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice #but you should not tell this vape your location #depressing cw

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ordinarytalk · 4 months

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I FINALLY QUALIFY FOR PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS

My initial student loan was $54,935.92.

I paid over $30,887.83*

My loan is currently at $51,756.93.

I thought I had made all 120 qualifying payments last year. I had to submit and resubmit the PSLF application multiple times, because it kept getting sent back because of problems with how my employers signed the form. It turned out some of the payments didn't qualify, so I had to stick with helljob for at least another year.

I definitely had made 120 qualifying payments this year, so I sent the application in December 2023.

Just got notified now that I have made all qualifying payments. I've made three extra payments, even.

"After we receive the approval, it may take up to 90 business days to process this information."

Three more months of helljob, because I still don't trust this is going to go through and I don't want to quit until I know my loans are gone. I do not have anything lined up after helljob, and I'm terrified of losing my helljob health insurance because I got medical complications. But I hate helljob. I hate helljob so much and my first emotion waking every workday is despair.

At least the loan payments have been paused until the reimbursement is processed. Theoretically I should get reimbursed for the extra payments, too.

* This was only my qualifying payments. The total amount I paid was higher. The website isn't showing me the non-qualifying payments and I have to submit a formal request to get my full payment history. I submitted the request, but it will take a few days to be sent to me.

#This has been a nightmare btw #why yes higher education in the US is a huge scam and utterly inaccessible to most people rn #This wasn't even all of my loans I also got a private loan that I paid off years ago with help from family #I'm one of the LUCKY ones and this ruined my life #student loans #us higher education #what really makes me want to strangle my past self is that I only took these loans because I wanted to be a doctor #like I actually had my bachelor's degree paid off. I didn't need to do this to myself.#But I wanted to be a doctor so I gambled my entire future without realizing I was even gambling let alone that the game was rigged #and I lost it all. Didn't even make med school.#Every single adult I asked for advice on higher education or loans told me 'you're smart and you'll figure it out don't worry'#I've always been a gullible sucker #personal stuff #pslf #public service loan forgiveness

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polyamorouspunk · 1 year

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Going to put on my Tumblr Parent Pants™️ for a second and out myself by saying I play an ungodly amount of Candy Crush, and recently I’ve been seeing an ad that I wanted to talk about but kind of just passed it off until I saw this ad on tumblr as well recently, so I just want to say: You Are Not Making Thousands Of Dollars Off A Stupid Little Game App. And I’m sure MOST of you are saying “nO sHiT pUnK” but listen if you are, then this post is NOT for you. I’d like to think that my mom taught me a decent amount of life lessons including this one but I still know what it’s like to feel like you grew up as a “sheltered child” so I’m passing this message onto anyone whose parents DIDN’T teach them this lesson: If a game was REALLY giving out THOUSANDS of dollars for FREE, they would NOT be putting THIS MUCH EFFORT into ADVERTISING because you would ALREADY KNOW ABOUT IT because that shit would have gone VIRAL. And if you’re thinking to yourself “oh, yeah, this post is definitely for me”: DON’T feel stupid. Look, we all fall for scams at least once in our life, whether it be a scam like this or just a phony relationship or whatever. Falling for a scam does NOT make you stupid. We live and we learn and we pass the knowledge on to those who come after us, hopefully with love. You’re not stupid.

#life advice #the punk gives good advice #money scams #phone scams #cyber scams #online scams #scams

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vavandeveresfan · 2 months

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Writer Beware: How a Book Really Becomes a Movie.

Writer Beware is an excellent site of information for those who are or want to become traditionally published. The official blog of Writer Beware® shines a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls. Also providing advice for writers, industry news, and commentary. Writer Beware® is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.

by Victoria Strauss, April 12

Book-to-film scams are extremely common these days. If the publishing industry is opaque and secretive, the movie biz is even more so, and scammers take full advantage.

From disreputable marketers claiming to take your book to pitch events, to fake agents offering to represent you to major production companies, to scammers impersonating those production companies themselves, hordes of fraudsters are soliciting writers by phone and email with tempting-sounding "offers" and "opportunities" that they promise will route your book directly to the silver screen.

In reality, of course, the fraudsters have no Hollywood connections. The sole aim of these solicitations is to trick you into paying large amounts of money for products or services--screenplays, pitch decks, "cinematic trailers", and more--that you don't need and that may not even be delivered.

How to defend yourself? As noted by Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, today's guest post author, the best way to avoid being scammed is to understand the process. The more you know about how things should work, the easier it will be to recognize questionable or dishonest practices when you encounter them.

In the article below, Jeanne offers a comprehensive overview, unpacking the multiple and often complicated paths by which a book really finds its way to the screen...which, as you'll see, bear no resemblance to the shortcuts and guarantees claimed by fraudsters.

*~*~*~*~*

How a Book Really Becomes a Movie

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman

Anyone passionate about their work, desperate to get published or have their book adapted to film, is a perfect target for a scam. Like this one.

First, if you’ve fallen for one of these too-good-to-be true solicitations, don’t beat yourself up. It’s easy to do. Writers tend to be solitary creatures, many without a support system. That's what makes us vulnerable to exploitation. But the best way to protect ourselves is to understand how the book-to-film process works.

Get comfortable. There’s nothing simple about Hollywood.

The filmmaking industry baffles many—even those working in it. The reality is, there is no single way to get a film made. There are quite literally as many ways to break in as there are writers who’ve successfully done so, making scams harder to identify.

Sadly, when someone proactively reaches out to you, you have to assume it’s fake until you can prove otherwise. With scams abounding, the burden of proof has shifted. Due diligence has never been more important.

You do NOT need a screenplay to sell your book-to-film rights.

You do NOT need a sizzle reel or "cinematic trailer".

You do NOT need storyboards.

You do NOT need mood boards.

You should NOT have to pay any upfront fees.

You should NOT be required to buy anything.

Let’s go through the traditional paths first, then I’ll share an unusual story to demonstrate how varied this process can be.

Most common paths for book to film

What you need is a great story with cinematic elements that would attract a large audience. If it’s for TV, it should have compelling characters and a broader world that could translate to multiple episodes.

Your agent strives for one of three opportunities:

Sell the book-to-film rights directly to a studio or producer,

Option the book for a set dollar amount for a specific period of time, or

Sign a shopping agreement for a shorter period of time with no money being paid to the author.

1. Selling the Book

When you sell your book outright, that’s it. You’re done. You no longer have any claim to said material, nor the right to participate in the adaptation. You probably won’t be able to write a future sequel if the studio owns your intellectual property … which means they own your characters. There are exceptions though, depending on how the contract was negotiated. You definitely need a talented agent or attorney to assist … not a pitching or consulting “service” that solicits you via email.

The sale price typically will be 2-3% of the film's budget (that's money paid to you, not the other way around), but it depends. It always depends. Your agent should at least try to get you Executive Producer credit, or a consulting gig. But many producers want the author far, far away from the project. Your book is merely a blueprint for the film. A lot will change—subplots and characters will disappear—which can be difficult for the author to accept.

If you’re lucky, and have the proper experience and background, they’ll give you first crack at writing the script. But don’t expect it. Your payday is the sales of the rights plus more copies of your book being sold.

But … here’s the hard part … even if you sell your book, the movie may never get made. Yes, you read that correctly. It takes millions of dollars and hundreds of people to align to make a film. People often say it’s a miracle any film gets made. They’re right.

2. Option Agreement

An option by a showrunner or producer usually runs $1,000 to $30,000 for a set period of time (again, that's money paid to you), the standard being 12 to 18 months. This gives them time to “package” the project by attaching a director, actors, etc. and (hopefully) sell it. Note: It is illegal to not pay a writer for an option, hence why you’ll sometimes see an option happen for a penny or a single dollar—which is more common when optioning a screenplay, as opposed to a book.

The vast majority of options expire long before any movie deal can be struck, but they may be renewed for an additional fee. With each renewal, your agent will likely either ask for more money or less of a time commitment. I do know authors who have optioned the same novel multiple times—not a bad payday. But still, no film and no purchase of book-to-film rights ever happened in those cases. An option doesn’t guarantee you a sale.

3. Shopping Agreement

A shopping agreement is similar to an option, only the producer tries to shop it around town without paying the option fee. Since the author receives no money, the shopping agreement typically lasts only six to nine months. Renewable, just like options.

These are more common than traditional options because the producer gets exclusivity, albeit for a shorter period of time, without coughing up money. Authors might agree to this strategy simply because there’s some sense of hope that a deal will be made.

So, how do your book-to-film rights get sold?

Just like everything else in the industry, you need relationships with the right people. Agencies spend years fostering those relationships with production companies and will go directly to them to pitch the book, sometimes in person, sometimes with a phone call. They’ll set up meetings with producers, not junior execs. Junior execs are the ones who go to pitching events, not decisionmakers.

Usually, an agent only needs a logline or a one-sheet. A logline is a one- to two-sentence elevator pitch. A one-sheet is exactly what it sounds like—a single page that summarizes the book and gives details about the author. That’s it. What your agent will not do is spend money to hire a screenwriter or hire someone to create a sizzle reel, trailer, or story boards.

If a potential sale is on the table, your agent should negotiate development fees, as Hollywood famously tries to get writers to do development work for free. Get your agent to negotiate compensation for that. An agent might also ask for the title card on the film not to be buried and to also be able to use key art of the movie poster for the book cover.

Before any significant negotiations happen, they’ll want to know there is a clear chain of title, meaning must prove you own 100% of the property. This is where having a screenwriter adapt your book in advance muddies the waters. If you didn’t pay them to adapt it, and have it in writing that you own the script, you’ve now entered into a trickier situation where the producer might have to pay both you and the screenwriter.

Moviemaking is a business. As in any business, people want things clean and simple. So, say you fall for one of those scams where you split the cost of hiring a screenwriter, making a sizzle reel, and creating story boards. That scammer could potentially now own half of your work. No exec is going to touch that with a 10,000-foot pole.

The most popular word in Hollywood is “no.” Don’t make it easy for them to say it.

The author may, however, take a stab at writing the script themselves. I’ve had top producers at the New York Rights Fair tell me they actually prefer having an author’s rough draft for several reasons—it saves them development money, and they appreciate having the author slashing the story down themselves. Less room for arguments later.

Author Lee Matthew Goldberg has both adapted his own book as well as optioned another. “I've been told, with my Runaway Train project, with the actress attached, that my script is what gets the project in the door. And then ultimately, it's most likely not going to be my script [that gets produced] when it actually sells. But had I not had a script, and it just was the book, it might have been harder to sell … Hollywood doesn't like to read. It's easier for them to read a script than a book. So, I think it's in the best interest for an author to write the screenplay. Be open to the fact that their screenplay might just be the thing that gets them over the first hump.”

But brace yourself. Hollywood isn’t going to wrap their arms around you, as the screenwriter. You will get fired, and they will bring in a pro screenwriter. However, per WGA rules, if you’ve written that original draft, you’ll get a shot at the first rewrite … before they finally fire you. But you will be fired. Don’t be offended though. Every great A-list screenwriter has been fired. It’s how the business works.

What if you’re self-published and/or don’t have an agent?

Let’s say you’re self-publishing and query producers yourself, and they bite. That producer is not going to take your book to a pitching event (a common scammer claim). They have direct contacts with people in the industry and will set up a meeting.

Again, you could take a stab at writing the screenplay, enter it into contests (see below), pitch to actors' production companies, or query screenwriting managers.

If the script gets sold, they’ll still fire you. See above.

The case study: The Reincarnationist Papers

Buckle up … this is but one example of how long it takes to go from book to film … and how totally unpredictable the process can be.

In 2009, Eric Maikranz wrote and self-published The Reincarnationist Papers. On the first page of the book, he put a “bounty” on it, stating that whomever finds this book and can help get it sold to a major publisher or movie studio will get 10% of his take. Great marketing!

Years later, while on vacation in Katmandu, a producer, Rafi Crohn, finds the book on a shelf of a bathroom in a tea house—no idea how it made it all the way to Katmandu—reads the “bounty,” and that alone intrigues him enough to dive into the book. Loving it, he tracks down Eric and secures an option.

It’s now 2012. Rafi contacts Ian Shorr, a professional screenwriter who feels, “There’s something magical there … an element of Willy Wonka.” Ian then pitches his take on how to adapt the book to Imagine, Ron Howard’s production company. (Note: This is how open writing assignments work. Before paying a screenwriter, execs ask them to read the book and pitch their take.) In this case, they don't go for Ian’s vision. He pitched a Matrix version; they want a Harry Potter version. Imagine never finds a writer’s idea they can align with.

Movie is dead.

Almost two years later, the rights are about to lapse again, so Rafi, who liked Ian’s take, approaches him to see if he’d be game to write the script on spec (which means without pay).

Why would a pro screenwriter write for no money? Ian explains, “For me, it was like the one that got away came back … I was still thinking about that book.”

Ian’s manager re-ups the rights.

Since Ian is writing this on spec, obviously, he is concurrently working on projects that actually pay him. Go figure. And The Reincarnationist Papers is a complicated one to adapt, taking Ian about three years to finalize the script.

The script and the rights to Eric’s book finally get purchased by Paramount.

Time to celebrate, right? Nope.

Immediately after the script gets sold, the president of Paramount leaves, and the new head sees the $200-million price tag and crosses it off their slate. The book was not a best seller, and the risk is too high.

As Ian puts it, “This movie died a million times before it lived.”

What brings it back to life: the director Antoine Fuqua, about to do a film for Paramount, is craving to do a Matrix-type project, but was brought on to direct something else. A producer slips Antoine the script Ian wrote, now called Infinite. Antoine loves it, and tells the studio this is the one he wants to make. Total fluke. The right champion at the right time. Finally.

Again, relationships.

Ian writes more drafts for Antoine, they cast the movie, lose the star, get another star, shoot it in 2019, and it finally gets released in 2021. Just a short 12 years from book to film.

Ian sums it up, “I think a lot of writers don't understand that their work is going to change. They all want the adaptation for all those other reasons that Eric enjoyed—like book sales, publishing deals, sequels. But some writers definitely do struggle with the fact that there are changes. The second you get into bed with Hollywood, that's the first thing you have to be prepared for. Because the spec that I wrote was very different from the book that he wrote. And then my spec got rewritten by other writers, who changed what I wrote.”

There are thousands of stories similar to this … and also very different.

You can watch Ian discuss the adaptation process on Pipeline Artists here.

Oh, there are still more out-of-the-box options …

Have you heard of “The Book Whisperer”? Meet Lane Shefter Bishop. (You can find an in-depth one-on-one conversation I had with her on Pipeline Artists’ Symposium here.)

In short, Lane has relationships (there’s that word again) with literary agents and will often get a shopping agreement on the book prior to it ever being published. Her goal is to be able to mold the story, pre-publication, to help create a more cinematic experience, structured like a movie.

Frankly, it’s genius. Give the conversation a listen.

Pay-to-play versus true champions

Let’s go back to “What do I do if I don’t have an agent?”

There are more and more writing contests popping up that won’t lead you anywhere except a few dollars less in your pocket, but reputable ones absolutely exist. Full disclosure, I’m a Senior Executive at Pipeline Media Group, a company that discovers novelists, screenwriters, and filmmakers via contests. Trust me when I say I’ve heard all the arguments about contests being pay-to-play scams, but it’s not the case for most, so do your research on the top platforms.

I’m also a writer, and I’ve entered plenty of contests in my day. Some have propelled my career, others, despite being a finalist, did absolutely nothing for me. They didn’t even email me to inform me of my selection!

Just like with any opportunity that feels too good to be true, as mentioned, do your research.

Beyond reading a contests’ success stories, I always recommend doing a search for a contest’s past finalists. Follow them on social media and message them, asking what that contest actually did for them. Getting previous finalists’ feedback on their take will tell you everything you need to know.

Get more than one perspective though. Get as many as you can! Strike the most positive, and strike the most negative. Take the average, and you can be confident in the results. Writers will be honest with each other. And if they got screwed over, they’ll be more than happy to tell you!

Bottom line

Scams are everywhere. The best way to identify them is to know how the process actually works.

Hollywood loves adaptations for many reasons, but mostly because the bulk of the story development work is already done, and a dedicated fan base exists. So, cast out as many nets as possible, even if it means writing the script yourself.

Why not? No one knows your story as well as you do.

If you want outside help, please do your research. Check multiple references, not just one. The Golden Ticket isn’t going to drop in your inbox. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam.

Above all, trust your spidey senses.

I’ll leave you with Ian Shorr’s final advice: “Because writers are so passionate, and because we're so willing to work for free, and because it's such an aspirational, dream-based industry, it makes us a really easy target for scammers. Plus, the way that Hollywood operates is so opaque to people who don't work there. It's easy for someone to come along and say, oh, yeah, this is how you play the game. The reality is, if you write something that people love, they will come to you. And they will put their energy into it. Just remember, anybody who’s looking for you to pay them is a red flag."

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman is a Senior Executive at Pipeline Media Group and Book Pipeline, Editor-in-Chief of Pipeline Artists, co-host of the Pipeline Artists original podcast, "Reckless Creatives," former Editor-in-Chief of Script magazine and a former Senior Editor at Writer's Digest. Her Script column "Balls of Steel" was selected as recommended reading by Universal Writers Program. A compilation of her articles is now available—Balls of Steel: The Screenwriter's Mindset. She is also a partner at Fringe Press and Co-Founder and moderator of the weekly Twitter screenwriters’ chat, #Scriptchat. She wrote the narrative adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, with its author, Douglas A. Blackmon, former senior national correspondent of The Wall Street Journal and has now ventured into writing historical fiction. Follow Jeanne on X: @jeannevb

#writblr #writers on tumblr #writing community #writers of tumblr #writing advice #writing tips #writer beware #screenwriting #screenplays #writing scams #publishing scams #writer #writers #writerscommunity #books to movies

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