Chapter 1: A Disturbing Email

Recently, I received a rather captivating email. The subject line read: Vogue Talent Recruiting Team, and it supposedly came from Edward Enninful himself. A quick search reveals that he is indeed a real person—specifically, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue and the European editorial director at Condé Nast, with over a million followers on Instagram and connections to renowned figures like Naomi Campbell.

Naturally, I thought, this accomplished individual is reaching out to me for a writing opportunity. Of course, I consider myself talented as well. However, it became clear that this email was a calculated scheme to manipulate my emotions, designed to bypass my healthy skepticism and push aside my inherent doubts about my self-worth.

In the past week, I noticed a surge of tweets and blog posts discussing similar scams. The consensus is that these fraudulent emails aim to harvest personal information for identity theft or lead to situations where individuals must pay for items out of pocket. Regardless of the method, the ultimate goal is to rob you of your hard-earned money.

While I don’t claim to be a scam expert, I do encounter my fair share of phishing attempts and dubious claims. For instance, did you know I supposedly won an iPhone 13 on Instagram? Lucky me! Naturally, the first contact I’d add is Naomi Campbell (yes, my delusions run deep).

Regardless of the scammer's intentions, it infuriates me that while many of us balance side hustles and full-time jobs, there are individuals out there trying to inflict both emotional and financial damage.

Here's the email for your reference.

Photo courtesy of Author

Chapter 2: My Response to the Scammer

There are several points I would like to address with the sender of this deceptive email:

1. As a freelance writer, I appreciate the effort to pitch a writing opportunity. However, I’d prefer sipping cocktails with Naomi than writing for Vogue. That’s my self-doubt speaking, grounded in experience.
2. A Gmail address? Really? Surely the editor-in-chief of Vogue would use an official email address, not a generic one, to avoid the spam folder.
3. Considering Edward Enninful's remarkable career trajectory, would he genuinely label himself as a Talent Recruiter and Editor? While he might be humble, he is certainly not an ordinary person like the rest of us.
4. The email invited me to contribute as a “Writer for our upcoming fashion project on March 22, 2022, themed: The Diversity of Fashion Trends and Cultural Influence on Lifestyle in Canada.” Clearly, they did their homework, knowing my background in diversity and cultural writing. However, despite my love for fashion, I don’t identify as a fashion writer. Why would an EIC recruit me?
5. And where’s the email signature? No logo? Even I, a modest freelance writer, include a professional signature in my emails.

It’s easy to dismiss this as a minor annoyance, but many people fall victim to such scams. According to an article in The Conversation, scams have defrauded countless individuals globally, costing Americans $14 billion and Canadians almost $100 million.

Beyond financial loss, these scams evoke a deep sense of shame. Victims often question how they could have fallen for such trickery. Yet, that’s the very purpose of these scams: to exploit emotions, take advantage of pandemic fatigue, and prey on fears regarding the future and global crises, all while testing our innate hope that genuine opportunities still exist.

I truly wish the best for both of us in navigating these challenges.

In this video, titled "I Got Scammed for $5000, I Thought I Was Flying to London with Vogue," the speaker shares their personal experience with a scam similar to mine, highlighting the emotional turmoil and financial repercussions that often accompany such schemes.

This second video, "AVOIDING SCAMS - Terrible Writing Advice," offers insight into recognizing and avoiding scams in the writing industry, emphasizing the importance of skepticism and awareness.

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