At first, I didn't understand why they would give you $40,000 and ask you to pay all of their other writers. And then it occurred to me they could send you a worthless check for $40,000 - you deposit the money, pass along the rest to the other writers and suddenly checks start bouncing on your account.

No reputable company, even a company overseas, would ask a writer to be their payroll agent. Even if they never pay you the $100, and I really hope they do, by turning them down you probably saved yourself a lot of trouble and aggravation.