Is IAPWE A Scam? (Discover The Best Way To Earn As A Writer)

IAPWE, also known as the International Association of Professional Writers & Editors, has been around for quite a while.

And scamming a lot of people out of their hard-earned money.

Yes, IAPWE ISN’T a site that I would personally recommend. I wrote this blog post in 2019. Depending on what year you’re reading this, then you know that you’re not the first (and probably not the last) person to ask whether IAPWE is legit.

You All Know The Scam…

1. The Craigslist Ad

So far, I’ve only seen IAPWE as a Craigslist ad. Most of the posts are usually pretty similar. Make money as a writer or editor by following a certain link:

According to the screenshot above, the ad claims that you can make $10 dollars per 100 words that you write, or $3 per 100 words that you edit. So for a thousand-word article (like this one you’re reading), you would make $100 if you wrote it, and $30 if you edited it.

2. Waiting A Month For A 5-digit Pin

Once you click through the link, and submit your content, they ask you to send them a random 5-digit pin.

You can see from the screenshot that it was over a month that IAPWE replied to my original email with my 5-digit pin.

3. The Money That You… Don’t Get?

Unfortunately, even after you’re allowed to register, you don’t get to make money quite yet. At least, this is what happened when I tried to join many years ago.

As you can see in the screenshot above, I can’t see the jobs, because I haven’t upgraded to a Professional or Business member yet?

What kind of idiotic-ness is this?

According to the link I followed (shown above), it looks like it’s going to be around $6 per month, just to be part of their little membership group.

Guys, you don’t need me to let you know that even if this wasn’t a scam, it’s not worth it.

4. The Money They Make Off Of You

And this is where the scam comes to a close.

When you sign up, you just get added to a job board section for people hiring writers.

So, you’re not even making money through IAPWE. They’re just collecting your money to send you to free resources.

What do others say about IAPWE? 

So, I found a bunch of complaints about IAPWE on BBB and Reddit. People are pretty unhappy with them for a few reasons:

Force Trial Of Professional Subscription

IAPWE offers a free basic subscription, but users must accept a 30-day free trial of their Professional Subscription to access it.

(This screams scam to me right off the bat!)

This subscription option involves granting access to their PayPal account through PayPal’s automatic payments feature.

When users try to cancel their subscriptions, IAPWE ignores their calls and emails.

Cancellation Process Do Not Work

Some users who subscribe to their offerings for $9.99/month have complained about the lengthy process involved in canceling the subscription.

Even after following the process, the subscription is not canceled, and they continue to be charged monthly.

Increase In Membership Fee Without Prior Notice

Others have reported a sudden increase in the membership fee without prior notice after being a member of IAPWE for a few months.

When they try to cancel their membership using IAPWE’s form, they receive a notification that they will receive an email confirming the cancellation.

However, they do not receive any email from IAPWE even after several months, and the membership fee continues to be deducted from their account.

Fake Free Trial

Several users have expressed their dissatisfaction with IAPWE’s free trial policy. They claim that they were charged monthly fees despite signing up for a free trial.

Even after attempting to cancel their subscription multiple times, they did not receive any confirmation or acknowledgment from IAPWE.

This has caused frustration and inconvenience for these users.

Can You Even Make Money Writing Now-A-Days?

Look, as always, I’ll be honest, and give it to you straight.

Getting paid to write articles for other people isn’t something that is worth it now-a-days.

Especially if you’re in the United States or one of the major 1st world countries.

Notice the emphasis on “for other people“.

Let me emphasize it one more time.

For other people.

Now, if you write articles for yourself, well then, you can definitely make a ton of money.

This Is How You Can Make Money By Writing For Yourself

See the screenshot above.

That is money coming to me because I wrote something.

Yup.

I actually wrote a couple of things about a year and a half ago, and it’s still making me money to this day.

You see, you don’t need to work for someone else to make money by writing.

You just need to learn how to take that passion of yours (writing), combine it with another passion of yours (like for me, getting scammed), and have it make money for you, even after you finish writing.

Back when I was first starting out, trying to learn how to make money by writing, I stumbled across a program called Wealthy Affiliate.

Back in 2018, Wealthy Affiliate was (and still is) teaching me how I can take any passion I have and make money from it.

I know, I was thinking the same thing as you:

“Any passion at all, and you can make money from it?”

Make Money By Writing About Any Passion Of Yours!

As of writing this (in 2023), it’s 5 years since I’ve joined Wealthy Affiliate, and I’ve put that question the test.

Over the course of those 5 years, I’ve made money blogging about many different types of topics:

• bad breath
• recipes
• how not to get scammed
• self-care
• decluttering/organizing
• minimalistic wardrobes
• bullet journaling

I’m actually in the process right now of starting a new site with my wife about homesteading, gardening and homemaking.

Any passion you have, and you can make money from it by writing about it.

Let’s Be Honest: This Isn’t For Those Who Need Money Right Now.

If you’ve landed on this page, and you’re looking for money right now, then this isn’t going to work for you.

Wealthy Affiliate isn’t a “Get-Rich Quick” scheme.

I personally had to work hard for a good three-four years to get where I am now (I worked on my site on and off during that time).

But it’s all worth it in the end.

As of right now, I’m fairly confident that if I were to have to start over, I could get to the success I am right now in less than 2 years.

Do You Want To Be Your Own Boss In Less Than 2 Years?

What would you do if you knew that in less than 2 years, you could be doing what you want, work when you want, and not have an employer breathing down your neck?

Not have to worry about finances?

Would you be willing to work through the hard times in your life (like when I had to work on my business even though I felt as though my marriage was falling apart, uncertain of the future, and scared this wouldn’t work?)

Would you be willing to learn something new every day? (With the knowledge I know now, I have the knowledge and experience of a Content Writer, Social Media Marketer, Paid Ad Specialist, Copywriter, Web Administrator, Funnel Strategist, as well as a ton of other job titles!)

If you are, then I would love to connect with you.

I’m willing to help you build your business in two years if you’re willing just to do the work and learn something new every day.

Are you interested?