A video editor from Dehradun recently took to LinkedIn to share a cautionary tale after falling victim to a job scam. In his post, the video editor, identified as Himanshu Semwal, shared in detail how he was duped into providing a sample video edit with the promise of a paid opportunity. "I got scammed. No payment. No feedback. Just ghosted," Mr Semwal wrote in his post, titled, 'Hiring alert but this one comes with a plot twist'. He shared that a while back, he came across a post that read, "'We're hiring a freelance video editor. Paid. DM for details."
The job advertisement looked "legit" and was the kind of opportunity "every editor hopes for," Mr Semwal said. He revealed that he sent a direct message to the "company" and was told after a brief chat that a sample video was required from his end to finalise him for the role. "So I edited. Clean transitions. Perfect cuts. Music on point. I delivered. Next day? Blocked. Disappeared. Gone," he said.
According to Mr Semwal, this is how some "fake clients" operate. "They collect free edits from multiple editors. Then they ghost you. And sell the work to actual clients as if it's theirs," he said.
In his post, Mr Semwal also shared the lessons he learnt from the experience and urged fellow freelancers to be cautious. "Always check the profile (new accounts = red flags). Don't send free samples without some written agreement or payment. Trust your instincts - if something feels off, it usually is. Real clients respect your time and are happy to pay for test work," he said.
"To all video editors, freelancers, and creators - stay alert. Your work has value. Don't let someone steal your skill for free," he concluded.
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Mr Semwal's post quickly went viral on LinkedIn. In the comments section, users shared similar experiences.
"I've never had this happen to me personally, but I've had friends who experienced this. If a client seems sketchy or you don't have an established connection with them, watermark your stuff," wrote one user. "Advice for you - Before Giving them final video make sure to upload the same video on your channel so in case, He Tryna ghost you and not giving your pay, So you can takedown that video via Copyright Claims," commented another.
"It happened with me as well...it's rampant in the editing field.. especially they look like corporate people," a third user shared.
