Free Guide · 25-Point Checklist · 5 Minutes

Am I being ripped off by my developer?

Probably not in the way you think. Most stalled AI and software projects are not fraud. They are a capable person out of their depth, a pitch that outran the delivery, and an owner who cannot tell the difference because nobody made the work legible. This checklist makes it legible. Tick what is true, get a score, and know what to do this week.

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How to use this

Twenty-five statements in five groups. Check every one that is true for your project right now. Each is weighted: high flags are worth three points, medium two, low one. Your score lands in one of three bands, and each band has a short list of what to do this week. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you use the button at the bottom to email yourself the results.

"He hasn't done anything wrong. I just think that he's following AI too much to guide him, not really understanding what needs to be done."

Michael Bowers, on the discovery call in the $900 Handoff case study. That project scored 31 on this checklist. It was fixed in a day.
The Checklist

Check everything that is true today.

1

Ownership and access

If the vendor vanished Friday, what would you still control on Monday?

2

Deliverables versus promises

Does the system act, or does it display?

3

Money and invoices

Are you paying for outcomes or for activity?

4

Communication and behavior

How does it feel, and does the feeling match the facts?

5

Technical reality

Five things a qualified person would find in the first hour.

Your score

0 of 46   Green

What Should I Do?
What the Bands Mean

Green, amber, or red. Here is this week.

Green · 0 to 9

Probably fine. Tighten the paperwork.

  • Confirm you are administrator on registrar, DNS, hosting, and the repo.
  • Ask for a one-page "where everything runs" document.
  • Tie the next payment to something you can log in to.
  • Read the five ownership questions anyway.
Amber · 10 to 19

Get an independent read before the next invoice.

  • Forward yourself every email where you shared access. Build the list.
  • Request administrator access on anything you are not admin on. Note how they respond.
  • Do not grant new access until the last access produced something.
  • Book an independent audit or a verification before you pay again.
Red · 20 and up

Secure your accounts this week. In order.

  • Do not confront anyone yet. Back up whatever is on their platforms first.
  • Registrar password first, then DNS, hosting, Workspace admin, email marketing, CRM, social. Remove one-time passcode devices. Rotate keys.
  • Make the final payment conditional on a completed handoff confirmed by someone who can read the repo.
  • Start the takeover intake. If it is urgent, leave a mobile number.

A note on the word "ripped off"

In the case that prompted this checklist, the owner said three separate times that the developer "hasn't done anything wrong." He was right. The developer was 26, bright, and had won a real client. He was also letting an AI tool set the agenda, building things nobody asked for, and could not explain where anything ran. That is not theft. It is a leadership gap, and the fix was a professional on the call, not a lawyer. Most red scores are this. A few are worse. Either way, the sequence above protects you.

Optional

Email me my results, and have Michael look at them.

Your checked items and score go to Michael. He replies within one business day with a short read on what he sees. No sales call unless you ask for one.

Confidential. Nothing you share is used for anything except answering you. No spam and no sales calls unless you ask for one.

Next

AI Project Audit, Rescue and Takeover

The three scenarios, the pricing, and the intake for each.

Case Study: The $900 Handoff

A project that scored 31 here, fixed between an 11:00 AM call and a 3:00 PM call.

How to Part Ways With an AI Contractor Safely

The lockdown sequence, in order, with the reasoning.