A lot of freelancers end up working for free when they get an opportunity from a company and they trust them just because of their name and fame. Even if the company provides a letter, do not trust them when it comes to your payments.
Delaying to not paying at all!
Archana Bhakta, a freelance content writer while looking for opportunities on LinkedIn, got an offer from a company to write on sports and fitness. The person told her that she will get paid as per word. They did not give her an official letter and she did not bother asking for it either.
She started working for the company, wrote several articles, and then stopped because she did not hear from the company regarding the payment.
More projects without the previous payment
A senior from the same company approached her for a new project and proposed a separate payment for it. Archana had to edit their website content for the same and she took it as an opportunity and edited the website content.
To her surprise, before she could finish the project, the company vanished. She couldn’t contact anybody and ended up sending a mail to HR.
A problem for all
The next day she received a mail from the company informing her that she will be getting paid over the weekend. The same person told her that he’s frustrated too with the company’s payment delays.
Taking an action
Archana decided to do a warning post on LinkedIn for the company and asked them to pay. She even threatened to reveal the company’s identity though she did not reveal it in the same post itself.
She pledged to always ask for a letter before starting the work. But does a letter promise you the payment?
Of course not!
We’ve seen various instances where the company provides a letter to the writer but still refuses to pay. They often make an excuse saying that they do not like the work or they’re still reviewing it. Every freelancer’s time is precious and Vouch works on saving that time for them.
Beware of new clients on LinkedIn and Facebook, ask for advance payment through Vouch before you start working for them.
This is Fraud Chronicle#19. Check back here for more fraud chronicles and frauds that you can protect yourself from.
Safety is not just about protecting your credit or debit card number. It's about getting paid for your hard work!
Note: This is a good-faith initiative to educate the world about how to avoid frauds like these. Do you have a fraud that you would like to report? Please write to us at letstalk@iamvouched.com
