Freelancing is a booming industry. That is why a lot of scammers are dwelling in and looking for their targets. Scammers do it for money, others do it for personal information. Whatever the reason is, to spot an online freelancing scammer, you need to learn the tips to prevent yourself from getting scammed.
Always make sure that when someone emails you offering a job, confirm its legitimacy. Before giving personal information, ensure that you are not getting scammed.
Especially if it will lead you to a link to fill out details, don’t fill out the form because it will get your identity.
Here are tips for you to spot an online freelancing scammer.
1. Has no company email
Not all but most scammers don’t have a company email. You can distinguish an email if it’s a company if it has the name of the company in it. Most companies nowadays provide their staff with their own company emails. It is because this is part of their branding, or this can also sign of legitimacy. And, when they’re hiring, they’re always using a company email.
Aside from company emails, an email signature is also part of the branding. You can find email signatures below your message every time you send an email. Usually, in an email signature, you can see the name of the owner of the email, address, and contact info. Also, there are images that will link to their social media accounts.
If ever someone is contacting you from a certain company. You need to research first if the company has a digital presence. The first thing that you will check is the website. And, if ever the business is only a start-up, check on the social media accounts. Digital presence nowadays is one of the best marketing strategies. Thus, every business regardless of the size has it. And, if ever, the hiring company who sent you an email doesn’t have any of the mentioned online platforms. You need to ignore it because it’s a scammer.
A lot of scammers now are identity thieves, so be careful. In order for you to spot an online freelancing scammer, you need to understand what they want from you. And, if they’re more focused on collecting information from you, don’t go for it. This is another sign that they’re scammers. Also, there are scammers who will offer you some gifts in exchange for something from you.
Another technique that you should learn to spot an online freelancing scammer is on the pay. All the scammers will do their best to win you. Thus, they will offer you everything, even great pay, they will offer it to you. If ever the tasks are easy and the pay is not compatible, check a lot of times because most of them are scammers.
Hiring clients who are offering test jobs are strategizing to take advantage of you. This is another sign to spot an online freelancing scammer. Clients will post job and when freelancers respond, they will give test jobs which are not paid. These clients are trying to get test jobs, but not actually hiring you. They’re only getting the tasks done without paying you.
A sample of this scammer is in UpWork. They would go and do the milestone thing. First is, they will suggest the milestone set-up. Afterwards, they will pretend that they’re not satisfied so that they can ask for a refund.
One of the tips to spot an online freelancing scammer is the clients that don’t hire within the platform. Most of these scammers are in social media- posting job hirings. There are also clients who posted jobs on the platform but will hire you outside. Their legit reason for this is for you to have no deduction on your pay.
It is very important that when you’re a newbie, you must start within the platform. It’s because you need to get familiar with the ins and outs of freelancing. And, when you’re ready, you can go out and get hired.
In freelancing platforms like the Upwork. You can see these details in every job posting. This is another sign to spot an online freelancing scammer. In there you can see the location, ratings, time difference, and if they have previous job postings. Also, you can check on the feedback of the hired freelancers.
Also, another thing that you need to check into is if the clients verified the payment. And, if ever the payment is not yet verified, you can check the client’s website and social media accounts.
But, if you found that the client is very rash in hiring you, they’re usually scammers, be aware of that.
Another tip to determine an online freelancing scammer is when the client is offering you free gifts. This is a strategy that makes you go for their offer not knowing their hidden agenda. They will tell you to claim on something, paying first and then, later on, they say you will receive a refund. But, they will never give you a refund.
Most of the scammers will offer you free training, laptops, or printers for free. Other legit clients will do this to show appreciation as a business partner. But, this happens when you and your client have an established working relationship. And, an established working relationship is difficult to have. It requires hard work and a long span of time and dedication.
It is vital to check a client before accepting an offer. To spot an online freelancing scammer can be difficult to do if you don’t know the tips. The basic thing that you will do is to check the online presence of the company. That will be your starting point to trust the client or not.
These tips are advantageous to your freelancing career. Thus, use these tips to avoid scammers get you.
Check this video to spot scammers! Feel free to tag fellow freelancers or SHARE!
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