Is Freelancer.com a scam?

I have seen a lot written online about being a freelance writer.  I kind of look into this several years back and registered for a program through Yahoo that I am not even sure still exists.  But it's an idea that I have toyed with for years and only recently began to seriously look into.

Much like anything else on the Internet there are scams all over the place.  One of the companies that sounded reliable was freelancer.com.  I found a lot of different reviews went on the site and found there were tremendous amount of posting for jobs.  So I decided to register and create an account.  In my rush from having read these wonderful reviews to going on the site and seeing all these job openings I didn't pay much attention to the fine print of freelancer.com..  It's been about a week and I have not been ripped off yet but, I have found that some of the information is from freelancer is lacking as well as some of the information is not advertised very well regarding the fee structures.

Right after I registered, I saw an ad that was asking for article writers.  It said that they would accept new writers.  So when ahead and submitted a bid for the position.  I submitted a bid of three dollars and I am little confused as to exactly how their structure works because she gave a price range of $2-$8 in her listing.  Later that day I was on looking through other jobs listed and I got an instant message asking about my qualifications for the position that I had submitted a bid for.  I went back-and-forth with the person who is very nice and helpful.  She eventually told me that despite my lack of experience she was going to give me a shot.

I am not sure if it is a normal practice, but she asked me to then email her directly.  She replied with a list of keywords that she wanted articles written about.   She stated that there was a situation that occurred with the previous writer for a website having written terrible content.  She told me the client was very unhappy with the work and they were about to be forced to refund his payment.  I was directed me to the website for additional information and asked if I could complete 5 x 500 word articles about car insurance within twenty-four hours.  I said I could and got to work.

I went on the website her customer was complaining about and saw a series of articles that looked like the author was drunk when he wrote them.  The articles contained about a ninth graders vocabulary and a kindergartners attention span.  There were words out of place, things that didn't make sense and it bounced from topic to topic in a way I have never been forced to read before.

For the last few days, I have been consistently writing four to five articles a day for this employer.  In my excitement of getting my first writing job, I did not push the issue regarding pay when I agreed to start writing.  After I had already began writing, I received an email stating the job would pay me two dollars per article.  Understand this is well below minimum wage.  While it is not difficult at all for me to complete a 500-word article, by the time I proofread it and make corrections it may take me close to an hour to complete.  Assuming I do not have to spend much time to research the topic.  Sometimes I can do an article in about 20 minutes, but usually it is thirty to forty.  I am sure as time goes by I will be able to complete the work faster.

Additionally I did not bother to think about a payment method for the work before I began.  After I completed the first set of articles, I was told to create a Skrill account so I can receive payment.  Screw is very much like PayPal but apparently handles the more Shadyside of Internet financial transactions.

As I continued looking through freelancer.com, I see that there are a lot of jobs that pay in this general price range, some even less.  I have found jobs paying as low as $1 for a 500-word article.

I also find the site to be lacking in the information given to both the person hiring and the freelancer.  There is little information on the site about how to prevent being scammed or what the correct procedures are when you accept a job.  In addition, I find there, fee schedule to be a bit odd, the both parties involved in the transaction have to pay a fee to Freelancer.com.

So far, my experience with freelancer has not been a total bust.  Its how I managed to get my feet wet writing and to give me a little bit of confidence in doing it.  However, had I been aware of the low pay and the costs that go with membership, I probably would have selected one of their competitors to start with.  But I will be looking into other writing websites and I'll keep you posted.