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I almost got scammed by an agency… and this is a lesson every creative, freelancer, and startup founder needs to hear.
A few weeks ago, an agency from India reached out to me to create a launch video for their tech client.
At first, everything sounded perfect:
“Money is not an issue… we just need to see if you can deliver.”
🚩 That was the first red flag… and I ignored it.
They had a crazy short deadline and asked for an 11-second preview to test my work.
I didn’t hesitate.
I jumped in, delivered fast, and they LOVED it.
Praised the quality.
Praised the speed.
Praised everything.
Then he started saying something else…
“If this goes well, we have 7 more projects for you.”
“We’ll increase your budget on the next ones.”
“This can be a long-term partnership.”
And he kept repeating it.
Even before I finished the first project.
🚩 Second red flag:
Future promises used to distract you from securing the current payment.
At that point, I thought: “This is going to be a solid partnership.”
Then came payment.
I asked for crypto.
He said:
“I’ll need 4 days for KYC… but PayPal would be instant.”
🚩 Third red flag:
Someone who says “money isn’t an issue” suddenly has friction paying.
Still, I moved forward.
While working, I noticed something else…
The guy was constantly insulting his own team member (Disha), to the point she left the conversation.
🚩 Fourth red flag:
How people treat others is how they’ll eventually treat you.
I still finished the FULL video.
Then I told him:
“Payment first before delivery.”
That’s when everything changed.
Excuses started rolling in:
— KYC not ready
— Urgent client pressure
— “Just send the video first”
Then I offered a solution:
I brought in a friend’s PayPal so he could pay instantly.
Guess what?
Another story.
“I just set up my PayPal”
“I don’t have enough balance”
“My client won’t pay unless they see the video”
🚩 Fifth red flag:
Endless excuses + shifting stories = no intention to pay.
I sent a WATERMARK version.
He got angry.
Started using abusive words.
That’s where I stopped responding.
—
This is the reality many creatives don’t talk about:
People will test your boundaries to see how much they can get for free.
Here are the red flags I ignored (don’t make this mistake):
1“Money is not an issue” with no upfront commitment
2Promises of multiple future projects to avoid paying for the current one
3Urgent deadlines used to pressure free work
4Disrespectful behavior to others
5Payment delays + multiple excuses
6Refusal to pay before final delivery
—
Anyway…
Instead of letting the work die, I’m putting it out here.
We created this launch video from scratch under insane timelines.
If you’re building a product, startup, or brand and need high-quality storytelling videos that actually convert…
That’s what me and my team do.
Watch it.
Drop your honest thoughts.
Would you trust a brand that launches with this kind of video?
👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾
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