Short answer is YES. A little longer, although not completely answer is, This is a really terrible place to find help or a job. I have had little success and what mild success I did have was short term and low pay. Some simply lie to get you there and conditions are not at all what was claimed. Some are just fishing. And Some ads are just out right scams.
Your last paragraph says it most accurately, "direct contact" is the only way I have made any meaningful money.
