In my time freelancing, I have noticed that countless scammers take advantage of freelance platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and even Indeed. As usual, I learned my lessons about scammers the hard way, but here are some things I learned that may help you if you are considering a freelance career.
First of all, although it’s not as risky as other forms of contact, do not Skype with clients. If you are in contact with a potential customer on a freelance site like Fiverr or Upwork, they may send you a link to a Skype meeting. Most freelance platforms have policies that prohibit freelancers from interacting with clients outside the freelance platform, so it is definitely not recommended, but I have also noticed that the clients who are requesting a Skype meeting are almost always scams. In addition, although you may assume they are sending you a Skype link so that they can conduct a video interview with you, but they actually only use Skype for the chat feature and you never get a live interview with them. In general, it is best to simply avoid clicking on links from someone you do not trust, whether it is a link to an external site or a link to a document.
Secondly, do your research. Google is your best friend here. If they are running a scam, there’s usually Google results on similar scams and what to watch for. If you have the company name of the client, always check out the site from a internet search aspect. Sometimes the real company will have a warning on their site about current scams being ran using their company name. If there is no information at all online about the person or company you are researching, then they probably are not legitimate.
Do not accept unfair compensation. You would think that scammers try to give you the best deal possible to reel you in, making you think that you will be handsomely paid for your work. However, this is not usually the case on freelance sites. Scammers will post job listings that grossly underpay the freelancer. Even if you are new to freelancing and have no experience to offer, make sure you are accepting jobs that appropriately compensate you for the work you are doing. A simple Google search will show you how much other freelancers are charging for their services and that will help you gauge how much to charge.
If they are pushy or rude, they are likely scamming you. Sure, you may have difficult customers from time to time, and the beauty of freelancing is that you can choose not to work for someone who is being unreasonable. However, usually legitimate customers will not be difficult until you have already started working for them, while scammers are often rude from their first interaction with you. They will also try to make sure you cooperate with them as quickly as possible after the first interaction and will become very pushy if you give them any resistance or set any boundaries.
Additionally, the language a potential customer uses can clue you in to whether they are legitimate. They often will use awkward sentence structure and your chat conversation with them will seem abnormal, almost like you are not speaking to a human (which is possible, considering they may have automated their scam). I am not sure why this is the case, but every single scam I have ever encountered always used the word “kindly.” This is not a common word in the professional world and daily personal conversations, so maybe that’s why it stood out to me, but the scammer always uses this word sooner or later. It is often incorporated into the conversation when they have a request for you, like “please kindly follow this link,” or “kindly send xyz.”
Last but not least, trust your gut. If the situation doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Even if you don’t have a specific reason for your apprehension about a particular client, it is best to err on the side of caution and let them go. It is possible that the client was legitimate, but sometimes taking the risk is just not worth it.
For some people, freelancing sites are the way to go to jumpstart their business and build their client base. Personally, I found a lot more success in making direct connections with clients by joining smaller groups of professionals and contacting businesses directly through Google search results. As a matter of fact, I was completely unsuccessful in getting any clients through freelance sites until I joined a small startup site called Stenovate that connected me to a group of professionals in the specific niche that I am focusing on in my freelance work. This site was only being used by about 500 people and was restricted to the U.S., instead of being an international site with millions of users. Having access to a smaller site enabled me to narrow down my area of focus and curate my group of clients for a more personal approach.
Clarity with Clara 