Try Critiquecircle.com. and hang around the cooler at Absolutewrite for advice. Maybe try uploading a story or two on Smashwords to see if anybody bites. And scour the web every few months for short story contests. But don't worry about getting ripped off. Honestly, it's the very least of a writer's problems. Just keep at it!
Yes, I am a published writer. Cynthia Rogers Parks. My 2009 novel is Houses on Amazon and elsewhere. Nice reviews but not much in the way of sales anymore. It did make the finals in the ABNA contest, but that was a close-but-no-cigar deal. I've written nine more books as a ghostwriter but have confidentiality contracts so, you know, I'd have to kill you. 
Currently working on a book about the industrialized food system. It's ruining my life. Can't eat anything anymore.
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