Navendu's Story
Navendu Sarkar looks like a happy-go-lucky youngster who is following his passion. A precursory look at his profile on LinkedIn tells the following about him:
An experienced visual and creative thinker with unique and innovative ideas for top class Events, Exhibitions, Road-shows, Mall Promotions, and Product Launch Promotions. I have the ability to work on a project from inception to completion, discussion with clients and subject matter experts, I am responsible for creating unique ideas and make them alive.
About a year ago, Navendu was approached about a freelancing project by a gentleman (we will call him that in spite of him not being one) named Sanjay Rawat. Sanjay Rawat is purportedly the owner of Kaasmo Expovision Pvt. Ltd. A google search takes us to their website with high-resolution shots of various exhibition booths and stalls.
The website looks professional and anyone wanting a display booth in an exposition or an exhibition would possibly pick up the phone and speak to them. Yet, this credible-looking company turned out to be anything but credible.
The Fraud that Navendu had to endure
After contracting with Navendu for Rs.20,000 and obtaining his services, Navendu was not paid a single penny. After multiple follow-ups and waiting more than a year, Navendu took to LinkedIn where he bared the fraud that was perpetrated on him. Sanjay Rawat availed of Navendu's freelance Art Direction services and left him high and dry. He never paid him and turned out to be a fraud. So much so that Navendu has posted a picture of Sanjay on the LinkedIn Post.
What is telling are the comments below the post. A comment by one Raj Dahia, Director of MakeMyStall reads that Sanjay promised him a car and 4-5 years later, that promise has not been kept.
Navendu goes on to outline how working on freelance projects means sacrificing one's good times with friends and bemoans that there is no way to prevent the mockery that folks like Sanjay have made out of freelancing.
Navendu's post closes with this question:
What do you think can be done in such cases, when the person who is supposed to pay you takes you for granted?
When Navendu posted this about a year ago and when Navendu originally delivered these services in 2019, Vouch was still in the idea stages. Today, Vouch is a reality. Vouch helps prevent payment fraud and freelancing frauds like these. We wish Vouch existed back then to help someone like Navendu not lose the fruits of their hard labor.
How to prevent payment fraud?
Freelancing if done as moonlighting comes at a certain cost which Navendu has outlined. Prevention is better than cure. Freelancers should take the following precautions when taking up freelancing work:
1. Establish the veracity or trustworthiness of such clients
2. Carry out digital due diligence to check for past history
3. Always insist on an advance of some form and collect payments progressively based on work delivered
4. Have some sort of hold to ensure money is paid when goods or service is delivered
It can be daunting to do all of the above as an individual. This is why it is always better to use a system or a platform such as Vouch. Vouch does the job of holding the money till the client and the provider have completed the transaction to mutual satisfaction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow this for all freelancer payments: When in doubt, use Vouch!
This is Fraud Story #8. Check back here for more fraud chronicles and scams 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 delivered the product or service you contracted to!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
