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How Did an Unknown Ghostwriter Become Part of an Identity Theft Crime?
A warning to freelancers
Taylor (not their real name) received an email indicating someone sent them a message on LinkedIn. “I hadn’t logged onto LinkedIn in a while,” Taylor told me. “When I checked it out, it was someone requesting my services as a ghostwriter.” Taylor and I began to use LinkedIn during the lockdown to increase our job prospects. We took advantage of their Services section where one can advertise up to five freelance services one performs. Though together we had professional experience as both creative and technical writers, neither of us had any significant ghostwriting opportunities. We both selected ghostwriting as one of the services we provided.
Taylor responded to the LinkedIn message that they would be interested in learning more about the opportunity. James (not his real name), the potential client, wanted to move the communication off LinkedIn and provided his email address. Taylor checked out James’s profile and saw that he was an agent at an insurance firm in Colorado. “Nothing seemed exceptional,” Taylor said. “Even the education section of his LinkedIn profile seemed ordinary.” In the brief email exchange, Taylor learned that he needed an article written about the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. James provided a thorough outline, specified a length…
