How not to get scammed on freelance platforms

At a time when industries everywhere seem like they're gradually eliminating the concept of an employee and all the pesky rights and obligations that title confers, an increasing number of white collar workers are finding themselves conscripted into a growing army of freelancers. Unfortunately, hunting down honest work for honest pay on freelance job platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, or Toptal is just one challenge the modern freelancer must prepare for.

Like so much of today’s world, these sites are teeming with scammers hoping to profit off of a newcomer’s desperation and/or of unfamiliarity with the space.

To make navigating these treacherous waters a bit safer, we’ve put together a handful of tips to help you keep your head on a swivel as you hunt for work online.

1. Follow the Rules

Tweet may have been deleted

Each platform has its own set of protocols for connecting clients and workers and facilitating payment for work done. Upon signing up for a platform, familiarize yourself with the laws of the land and doggedly adhere to them as you conduct your business. Consider any client or job offer that suggests deviation from the SOP to be a crimson red flag.

2. Yes, It’s Too Good to Be True

Scammers tend to promise freelancers exceptional hourly rates for manageable to middling workloads.

Sure, we’d all love to earn beaucoup bucks for bare-bones effort, but if a posted job’s pay and workload seem wildly out of sync with the rest of the market, it’s worth considering why that might be the case. Are you applying to something real or just taking the bait?

3. Don’t Pay to Work

No, you do not need to spend money to make money. If a client is asking you to pay an application fee, cover “training,” buy and download some proprietary software, or engage in any other sort of preliminary business that requires you to open your wallet, run away. They said they’ll reimburse you later? No, they won’t.

4. Don’t Provide Work Without Pay

There’s nothing wrong with someone asking for a sample of previous work you’ve already done to get a better idea of your skill level, but tasking you with a “trial” assignment that results in the kind of work the job would have you producing should set off alarm bells. With this gambit, scammers coax naive freelancers into handing over the desired fruits of their labor on a silver platter. With what they wanted already secured, the scammer can tell the prospective hire they’ve decided to go with someone else and move on to the next mark.

Relatedly, always make sure the amount you were quoted is the full amount you're getting paid, even if you're promised that the rest will come later.

Tweet may have been deleted

5. Don’t Accept Off-Platform Payments

These platforms require payment from clients up front and hold it in escrow for a reason. If someone offers to send you a check for more than the agreed upon amount, don’t let the prospect of more fool you. That check will bounce and you will have no recourse.

In fact, try not to go off-platform under any circumstance.

Tweet may have been deleted

6. Don’t Accept Payments That Aren’t Money

We’re fairly certain your landlord and pharmacist aren’t accepting exposure or equity to pay for your rent or prescription, so why should you consider a client trying to offer you that for your work?

7. Don’t Assume These Sites Are Looking Out For You

It’s not unreasonable to presume that these companies would actively vet all users and weed out miscreants. Though they all claim to engage in such practices, the persistence of fraud on their platforms calls into question the idea that the scammer problem is something they’re able to solve — or even interested in solving.

Tweet may have been deleted

While there are obviously rules that users who hire on these platforms must follow, and there are avenues for reporting scammers, don't assume security claims are more than vague, non-actionble bromides.

In short, act as if the only one looking out for you is you.