A couple of years ago I worked with this guy in Boston that was developing a pretty neat application for showcasing new real estate ventures.  I was pretty caught up in the glamour of the work and didn’t realize until sometime later that he had no money and no intention of paying me.  I sent several invoices to him, reported him and eventually wrote off the tax loss.

Today I see another neato programming ad on craigslist looking for expertise in GPS location.  Similar to the first time, I had practical experience in the area and started to make inquiries.  Again, not noticing compensation DOE or stock in the ad.

The guy responds with his full name.  Rings a bell.  I reply back he owes me money.  He says he doesn’t remember.  BS!  Looking around the net other people have similar experiences and someone even went to the trouble of creating a blog assasinating the guys character.  He even tries, lamely, to cover his misdeeds with an obscure yahoo email address – not from a dot com.

I know this guy will end up suckering someone else to the party.  There really is no way to stop him.

Although, I have been more cautious since then.  First couple of assignments are really pro-rated, up-front cash escrow.  This probably turns a bunch of people away, but I really can’t afford to work for free.