6 Ways to Protect Yourself from Fake Freelance Jobs

Fake jobs are everywhere—and freelancing sites are no exception. As we all know, if you're looking for work online, you'll find plenty of opportunities to take on freelance projects. However, this doesn't necessarily mean you should jump at the first opportunity you come across. Why? Because many of those opportunities turn out to be fake. But how can you spot a scammer from a legitimate job posting?

If you are a first-time work-from-home freelancer, this article is for you. I've compiled a list of five red flags that will let you know if you are about to sign up for a scam job. Let's take a look at them now.

Telltale signs that a job is a scam

Most of the online platforms that offer paid jobs offer legitimate paying jobs. There are legitimate clients out there with business problems that can only be solved with the help of a freelancer. 

However, in between these legitimate jobs, hide a sinister world of scammers who look for people like you and me to take advantage of. And they are good at it. These people could be offering you the juiciest paying gig ever! 

This article will use Upwork as an example of a freelancing platform. However, this is not to say that Upwork condones scamming. It's quite the opposite. Upwork has stringent policies on handling scammers, and you can report them immediately. 

Whether a freelancer or a client, you undergo identity verification.

Payment verification is part of the procedure to ensure your client is legitimate.

This means the client must provide proof of identity and submit a valid government-issued ID and add a credit card.

This simple process will fund any project when the client and freelancer have agreed. 

The Client Is Not Verified

It's a red flag when a client needs a freelancer but doesn't bother with verification.

However, this point should be taken with a grain of salt. Even though a client is not verified, it doesn't mean they are a scam. Some first-time clients don't know how the process works. As such, they may still be learning the ropes. If this is the case, remind the client that they need to verify their payment method before Upwork will allow them to send you a contract. Legitimate clients usually do not have any issues with this. 

Be extra cautious when approaching a client with an unverified payment method. 

The rate is very high for a simple task.

The cost of hiring is one of the reasons clients tend to gravitate towards hiring freelancers. They are naturally cheaper, work faster, and assuming the freelancer is an expert in their field, the quality of their output is unparalleled. They do not require training, so that they can save the client more money.

Think twice if you see a job advertisement offering $500 for retyping text from an image. This is a red flag. A legitimate client with a verified payment method will never offer you anything exorbitant for a mundane task like this. 

Also, note that the work is VERY simple. This is another indicator that the client may not be legit. If they were legit, they would understand the concept of how outsourcing work. 

If you take a job like this, there is a big chance that the client will not pay you after the project is completed.

After sending a proposal, they immediately ask you to contact them outside the platform.

One of the rules that Upwork has is that you can't communicate with one another outside of the platform before a contract is sent and acknowledged by the freelancer. 

When you send a proposal, they will immediately reply and tell you to contact them via email, Telegram or WhatsApp to discuss the project. If you ask them to discuss the details exclusively on the platform, you will not hear from them again. 

If you contact them outside, they will allow you to go through a rigmarole, making you believe it's legitimate. You will be asked to click a link, fill out a form, and wait for their response. If you accept the job, they will send you a fake contract, but whether you are qualified or not, they will give you the job. This contract is not worth anything. Using it against them is impossible because everything written there is fiction.

Remember, only Upwork's contract can protect you from getting scammed. 

They want you to pay a fee to get your pay.

This is where the scam happens. When you submit your work for payment. The scammer client will tell you that you must pay a fee to receive your payment. They use various labels to make this fee sound official, and they will convince you that it is obligatory. There are many names for this fee. Here are some examples:

• ID Fee
• Processing Fee
• Tax payment
• Registration Fee
• License Fee
• Transaction Fee
• Payment Deposit
• Security Deposit
• Service Fee
• Administrative Fee
• Fee for Job Order Service

Remember this: FREELANCERS DO NOT PAY CLIENTS SO THEY CAN GET PAID. 

Scam jobs from Legitimate Clients

Surprised? Yes, this happens. 

Some legitimate clients have found a way to wiggle out of payment by filing a dispute and demanding a refund (e.g. because the freelancer's output is not up to par). 

Some of these disputes and refunds are valid, but some clients use this strategy to avoid paying because, let's face it, some freelancers do not produce satisfactory results.

For good measure, make sure you screenshot your conversations with your client. You will use these screenshots when filing a counterclaim. 

Another good practice is to avoid problematic clients by checking the review section of their profiles. Some freelancers will leave scathing client reviews if they are difficult to work with, asking for free work, demanding, or simply being a typical pain in the neck. 

How to avoid being a victim of a scam.

Scam jobs are a waste of time, money, and energy. So, here's what you can do to avoid falling victim to these scams:

1. Read the Terms and Conditions of the platform. 

It's crucial to invest at least an hour reading through the terms of conditions and understanding the ins and outs before you even start bidding on jobs. Understanding a platform's terms and conditions helps keep your actions clear and away from possible account revocation.

It's a good idea to read the T&C, so you don't ask questions from Facebook groups, making you look lazy and ignorant. 

2. Learn to evaluate a job post properly. 

Before posting bids, you should learn how to analyze the project. If you understand how to read a job post, you can decide whether it's good or bad. Your ability to analyze a project also helps in saving your precious Upwork Connects. 

3. Learn which niches are prone to scams. 

Most newbies are crowded in virtual assistant, customer service, and data entry jobs, so scammers usually target them. If you are in this niche, you must be careful and know you are always targeted. 

It would be wise to tell you to find a niche with less competition and less prone to scams, but it will be impractical. Freelancing is all about what you are an expert in. The only cure to this dilemma is for you to wise up by learning how to avoid getting scammed. 

4. Don't be too desperate

When bills are due, someone in the family is sick, there is no food on the table, and tuition is due next week, who wouldn't be desperate? The thing is, desperation makes all of us vulnerable. 

When you are desperate, you no longer think or analyze whether a job is the right one for you or not, and you will do anything to get paid. That's one of the reasons why many people land themselves in scammer's clutches. 

So, if you are desperate while looking for clients, remember to ask the right questions. "Why should I be interested in this?" "Is this job part of my skills or expertise?" "More importantly, is it legit?" 

5. Consult with other freelancers

Being a freelancer in the age of social media gives you an advantage. So, don't hesitate to ask other freelancers about their experience. By so doing, you can get more insights from others. Likewise, share your experience with other freelancers around the world. 

6. Trust your instincts

When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. A little investigation, though, will help you figure out whether it's worth pursuing.

When you're asking yourself, "Is this offer legit?" your instincts tell you to stay away from it.

Conclusion

Identifying a potential scam job isn't rocket science, but it requires understanding what you are looking at and how the job market is changing. The key is to pay attention to these red flags and avoid getting caught up in a scam.

When you see a post that resembles a scam, or if you have a potential client that turns out to be a scammer, report them. Keep reporting them. As freelancers, we are responsible for the growth of our industry, so we must do our part to ensure that scams don't take off.

Scammers can learn from our success, so they must know what we're doing. If we're successful at keeping scammers at bay, then perhaps they'll find it harder to scam others. 

How about you? Have you ever been scammed by a client? Tell us about your experience.