Series: Scams on Freelancers

Are Scams Really a Thing?

The short answer is yes - big time - in most industries and it's on the rise, often thanks to the rise of AI. My findings researching scams in my three customer bases - freelancers/solopreneurs, authors, and nonprofits - resulted in so much information that is particular to each industry, we'll take time to review the issue separately for each field.

Per this May 2025 article on Netcraft, "According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2023, more than $500m was lost to job-related fraud in the U.S., more than double the 2022 figure ($200m). It is anticipated that 2024 will beat that record." Follow the link embedded in the article showing the most recent data, 3rd quarter 2025. 

What Kind of Scams Are Out There?
Common scams feature fake job postings, requests for upfront fees, payment fraud, or phishing for personal data to steal identities per an AI search overview. Scammers often promise high pay for little work, rush the hiring process, and strive to communicate off-platform to avoid detection. The Netcraft article above notes "greater competition, lower wages, the cost-of-living crisis, the rise of zero-hours gig work, etc. – have created an ideal climate for criminals to exploit job seekers."

There are a few "gig" job posting sites like Upwork and Fivrr that, unfortunately, make it challenging to determine legit vs fake job postings. This July 2025 blog post from Gigradar.io devotes a lengthy post to Upwork scams. 

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Image: Gigradar.io

Fortunately, there are more real jobs than scams on Upwork as of this writing - 88-94% real work vs 6-12% scam jobs. The article notes that over 12,000 scam jobs were removed from Upwork in 2024. While it's hard to imagine being so continually wary of scam tactics, the platform is trying to police the situation.

I definitely recommend looking at this post as they have some great graphics and charts to enhance the information.

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Red Flags to Alert You
The following is a compilation of common scams freelancers may face. These are based on personal experience and posts on Clearvoice, Sumsub, and Moxie.

• Contact from out of the blue
• Rushed process
• Pay that's too good to be true
• No details about the company or person online
• Poorly written communication
• Job will not agree to any payment up front as a deposit or retainer
• Will not agree to a contract
• Registration fees, security deposits, or requests for personal (financial!) information from you - identity theft is real.
• Extensive "test" projects (a.k.a. "how to get work done for free")

How To Protect Yourself
First and foremost, be wary. "If it's too good to be true, it probably is" didn't become a wise saying for no reason.

• If it seems at all "off," pause - take your time to respond. Scammers are often seemingly hanging on your every word and in an immediate conversation. Time is of the essence! (supposedly)
• Scammers will sometimes provide just enough potentially legitimate information - saw your name on a club or group you currently or have belonged to - but the request is not quite right somehow. 
• A gut check is valid - listen to your gut feeling.
• Share the scenario with others for an outside perspective. It's easy for our judgement to be clouded when we're eager for work or an opportunity sounds exciting. 
• Don't by any means pay to get work or as part of the process! 
• Be extremely careful about any "test" or free work - keep it extremely limited. Doing a small sample work isn't a bad idea to ensure you're a good fit for a job, but keep it small at most. 
• Give the minimum of personal information.
  • Create an online protected system for payment, such as through Square, PayPal, or Stripe - options through your website.
  • Zelle through your bank can work if it's a one-way system - you can receive payment but it can't be withdrawn without your authorization. 
  • An employment service (Fivrr, Upwork) may have a payment platform to work through - keep the communication on platform. 
  • Never, ever give out your social security number, credit card number, or address and use great caution in sharing your phone number. 

What Prompted This Post
I received an email from someone:

• out of the blue (red flag)
• for a 35-page proofreading job (fairly small)
• deadline in 4 days (red flag but not huge - grace time built in - nice)
• payment of $2,300 (bwahahaha! No one is paying that kind of money for 35 pages of text.)
• conversation by email was immediate and a flurry like someone was messaging me, waiting for responses (red flag)
• discussion about a contract or partial, even limited, payment up front was not an option at all (red flag)
• I was unable to find the supposed company name online at all on a search, and the individual was not on LinkedIn or had a generic enough name not to be easily found. (red flag) 

A Whole Series About Scams - Really?
I was surprised to learn that there are scams very unique to each of my client types—freelancers/solopreneurs, authors, and nonprofits. This post would be long and unwieldy or try to be everything to no one to try to tackle the information in one post.

I hope you'll join me over the next couple of weeks to learn about ways to protect yourself and what to look out for!

Your Turn!
Have you been a victim of a scam artist, falling for it hook, line, and sinker? Any stories to share of falling for a scam or detecting one a mile away? Any tips and tricks you've learned to protect yourself?

Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn and Substack to share stories so we can all grow together!