How Do You Avoid Getting Scammed as a Freelancer?

[Nomad]

The first freelancing job I did got me scammed. I was hired on a freelancing site called Guru after I delivered my work, the client disappeared. Here are a few things I do these days to avoid getting scammed.

I avoid taking orders on social media platforms and do not use less popular freelancing platforms.

When I am working with a new client, or a transaction involving higher amount, I use Escrow service. Escrow secures fund and will release to you after you submit your work.

Have you ever been scammed? How do you avoid getting scammed? By the way, working on well-established freelance platforms like Fiverr or Upwork is generally safer since there's less chance of being cheated by clients.

 

[Jason]

PayPal has a system to protect people. In that case, tons of people probably use PayPal for that reason. Well, if things go wrong, PayPal can refund your money. It's as simple as that.

 

[Ravenfreak]

If I ever go down the route of freelance work, I will avoid using less popular platforms. I will also ask for payment up front, and then do the work if I can.

 

[Cory]

I got scammed once doing some freelance coding work for a forum. I did quite a bit of work for them and he paid up front, but after I was finished, he filed a PayPal chargeback to get his money back, which he did. I didn't even know that was a thing at the time.

 

[Tracy]

If I ever go down the route of freelance work, I will avoid using less popular platforms. I will also ask for payment up front, and then do the work if I can.

Problem with that is the "scamming" goes both ways. Most people will not pay up front for something.
They may pay based upon a percentage by status of work completed (thinking programmers/developers here).
The best solution for both is the use of an escrow service for payment and a CLEARLY written contract of what is expected to be provided and a defined method of settling any dispute.
Just because someone is doing it as a sideline job or a hobby getting paid for something they enjoy doing does not mean that you should not be professional in your contractual agreements. It should be treated the same as a multi-billion dollar company entering a contract for services.

 

[Nomad]

PayPal has a system to protect people. In that case, tons of people probably use PayPal for that reason. Well, if things go wrong, PayPal can refund your money. It's as simple as that.

If you are a freelancer and if you accept funds through paypal, you are under the risk of losing your money. Your buyer might file a case against you saying you never delivered the service and most of the time paypal decides for the buyer because they are the ones who are actually paying.

 

[Henrywrites]

The first freelancing job I did got me scammed. I was hired on a freelancing site called Guru after I delivered my work, the client disappeared. Here are a few things I do these days to avoid getting scammed.

I avoid taking orders on social media platforms and do not use less popular freelancing platforms.

When I am working with a new client or a transaction involving a higher amount, I use escrow service. Escrow secures fund and will release to you after you submit your work.

Have you ever been scammed? How do you avoid getting scammed? By the way, working on well-established freelance platforms like Fiverr or Upwork is generally safer since there's less chance of being cheated by clients.

I don't think I have had any experience of getting scammed for a job, which I did. My major focus is always on ensuring that I don't take any funny jobs from clients. I work with my terms and conditions and only work for clients who agree to it.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I have a high rejection rate.

I typically offer my services rather than look for clients. This is because I have other side gigs and am not a 100% freelancer.

I'll research the person attempting to hire me, or their company.

If I accept, I'll require at least half the payment first and then the rest when I'm done. I'll require this for the first few jobs if we're doing more than one jobs.

I was scammed once in a way. I wrote the article. The client never responded. They never used the article though.

 

[Nomad]

I was scammed once in a way. I wrote the article. The client never responded. They never used the article though.

I was once hired to set up a general discussion forum. However, when it came to hand over the forum and get paid, the client refused. Now, I am running that forum and also looking for clients who can purchase it from me. If they never used your work, you were not scammed, right? You could use it else where. But then hiring someone to work and then refusing to go ahead with the purchase is also in some way a scam.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I was once hired to set up a general discussion forum. However, when it came to hand over the forum and get paid, the client refused. Now, I am running that forum and also looking for clients who can purchase it from me. If they never used your work, you were not scammed, right? You could use it else where. But then hiring someone to work and then refusing to go ahead with the purchase is also in some way a scam.

I ended up not using the article on any of my own web properties.

But I did learn from that, though.

Now I only (very rarely anymore) freelance write for blogs like mine. That way if something goes wrong and the content is not bought or used, I'll make it relevant for my own blog and use it there.

 

[Heatman]

The first thing I did for myself when I became a freelancer was to try as much as possible to build my repetition online as a Freelancer. This have helped me to build a lot of confidence in almost all the clients that are coming to order for my services. This makes it that I will always request for my payment first before I start on any project. It have made me not to be scammed by any client so far and that is exactly how I intend to work until further notice.

 

[Senkusha]

The first freelancing job I did got me scammed. I was hired on a freelancing site called Guru after I delivered my work, the client disappeared. Here are a few things I do these days to avoid getting scammed.

I avoid taking orders on social media platforms and do not use less popular freelancing platforms.

When I am working with a new client, or a transaction involving higher amount, I use Escrow service. Escrow secures fund and will release to you after you submit your work.

Have you ever been scammed? How do you avoid getting scammed? By the way, working on well-established freelance platforms like Fiverr or Upwork is generally safer since there's less chance of being cheated by clients.

What specific Escrow Services have you found to be useful? I've never thought about this being an option, but it sounds like combined with a good contract could be a winning combination.

 

[Nomad]

What specific Escrow Services have you found to be useful? I've never thought about this being an option, but it sounds like combined with a good contract could be a winning combination.

I use Escrow service only when the sales amount is higher than $100. Escrow has a $20 flat disbursement fees, so I do not use it for any order that earns me less than $100. I use escrow service to sell my writing services, especially for bulk order or high paying order. I also use Escrow while selling digital products.