Kuhuk Gaur a writer who has been freelancing for a long time encountered a scam and it was for the very first time that it happened to her and it shattered her faith in freelancing.
1500 words in 24 hours!
It all happened on a morning when a potential client approached her to write three articles for his company’s website. The offer sounded good to Kuhuk and she happily agreed to do it for him. She was given a task to write a 1500 word article in 24 hours and without receiving an advance.
Kuhuk sensed something wrong and demanded an advance. The client convinced her that his company doesn’t allow him to pay any sum to freelancers before 15 days and asked her to wait.
Trusting someone can cost you a lot.
She trusted the client and his company, completed all tasks assigned to her in the mentioned period, and waited for another 15 days to get her payment but was denied one.
The Client not only used her articles on his company’s website but on demanding payment, said that he did not like the work and won’t pay her for something he did not use. Kuhuk tried threatening the scammer but it did not work and he vanished.
Poor Kuhuk is still struggling to get the deserved payment for her efforts. She expressed her grief through a post on Facebook and got a lot of supportive comments.
But will that help her minimize the loss?
This is not something new that a freelancer has faced. A lot of clients deny payments and use freelancers work without authorization. This not only results in financial loss but also deteriorates a freelancer’s mental peace and willingness to work. The freelancer stands to lose a lot more than their money since they are disoriented and unproductive.
Here’s how you can prevent yourself from being a victim of such freelance scams:
Ask the client to mention payment conditions beforehand
Specify that the product or service is your copyright or yours until paid for. Share non-copiable or any other version that makes it difficult for the client to use without paying for it
Always ensure some advance or milestone payment through a platform like Vouch before you start working on a project or task
Your freelance payments are secure when you choose to get paid through Vouch. Chances of scams and fraud are nil. You can test if the client is genuine or not by adding milestone options and getting paid after completing every one of them.
Vouch ensures a secure transaction between the client and the freelancer. None of them have to worry about their money till the time it’s held by Vouch.
This is Fraud Chronicle#3. 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 having control of your money till you've received the product or service you bought online!
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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
