Tips! How to avoid fake Proofreading Services?

Are you looking for quality proofreading services? If so, then knowing how to spot scam or unscrupulous websites is especially important nowadays, as the Internet is rife with fake, low-quality, and often unacceptable document editing and manuscript preparation services online.

The first way to avoid falling prey to fake proofreading services is to avoid being lured into offers of cheap work. If a company’s going rate is significantly lower than a competitor’s, or if a freelancer is offering an exceptionally low price to check over your work, then the deal may be too good to be true.

It is also worth moving with caution if the service provider or freelancer you are considering working with does not post their address, so it is within full view of clients. In many countries, this is required by law, and if an editing company refuses to show its address, it is a sign of potential risk!

Also remember that some websites pay for illegitimate reviews, meaning that you need to take care when evaluating your options online. While certain proofreading companies are extremely popular, and so have positive and honest ratings online, other low-quality companies may use fake reviews to look better than they are.

If the platform you are using for professional proofreading services lists each editor’s profile, researching the editor online can increase your confidence in the service you are receiving. However, online resumes and CVs can be padded out or fabricated entirely, and so the editor who reads your document may not be as impressive as they make themselves out to be. For this reason, building a trusting relationship with a proofreader is critical.

Receiving a guarantee from the company or freelancer you work with can be a valuable way to protect against fake proofreading services. This is especially true if that guarantee is supported by the weight of the law, as it is in certain countries, for example, when contractual arrangements are made. For large proofreading projects such as books, it is always worth considering guarantees and contracts.

Finally, ensuring that the service provider’s policy for handling sensitive client data is adequately robust is crucial as a way to verify genuine over fake services. If no information about the company’s privacy policy is clear to you, make sure to contact one of the company’s staff with questions. If you receive vague or unclear answers, consider steering clear of that particular company.

The takeaway advice from this article is that, in order to avoid fake or fraudulent online service providers in the proofreading and education industry, do consider a handful of important factors which can be very valuable. Experience, reputation, word of mouth, guarantees, and other relative factors should be taken into account.