There are chances of getting scammed on Fiverr both for sellers & buyers. In this post, I will discuss both the seller’s & buyer’s perspectives. So you can protect yourself from getting scammed.
How sellers can protect themselves from fraud buyers
Especially the new freelancers are the main target audience of the fraud buyers.
There are scammers who act as a buyer and they try to scam sellers for the sake of “Test Work.” Once the seller submits his/her test work, the scammer will disappear without hiring the seller. See the screenshots for more clarifications & examples:
Some scammers may inspire sellers to transact outside Fiverr. They will promise to make payment after the job completion but they won’t. Also, it’s against Fiverr terms.
There are a few resellers who make transactions inside Fiverr but I will still call them scammers.
This type of scammer intensionally hires multiple freelancers for the same task and at the same time.
End of the day, the scammer will only accept the best one and initiate a “Refund” for the rest of the sellers. Because they know that Fiverr will not release the fund if they don’t accept it.
The resellers don’t know anything about the project, nor do they have the ability to make decisions.
For example, a buyer hired 5 different graphic designers for the same logo. Once the 5 designers submit their work, the scammer will only accept the best one and will take a refund from the rest of the 4 designers.
The scammer never thinks about the problem of the sellers and the issue the designers will face by the intentional order cancellation.
See when you should cancel an order to save your time and increase productivity.
Many new sellers become crazy about getting reviews on Fiverr. They have the desire to do any hard work for any price. All they want is just a nice review. And the fraud buyers take this advantage of new sellers.
This type of scammer seeks those sellers who are passionate and crazy about getting reviews. And they want to exchange gig prices with ratings.
If any person tells you to contact them via email (at the beginning of a conversation) and without any appropriate reason, assume that it’s a scammer.
DOS AND DON’TS FOR SELLERS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM SCAM
- Don’t participate in “Test Basis Work” for free. Each & every test work should be paid.
- Don’t transact outside Fiverr.
- Check the buyer’s profile on Fiverr and see their past reviews & feedback.
- Do not exchange your gig price with reviews.
- Don’t contact their email without any valid reason.
How buyers can protect themselves from scams on Fiverr
Before you hire someone or buy a gig on Fiverr, be sure to discuss with the seller properly. No matter if it’s a new or old seller, always ask them questions related to your project.
This will give you a clear idea about the seller. Also, you will know if they understood your requirements from the conversation.
Take a concept or clear idea from the seller about how they can help you.
The vague sellers pretend that they have understood everything. But your questions and their concept will give you a clear idea.
Do not just look for or depend on ratings, reviews, or feedback of a seller. There are hundreds of sellers on Fiverr who exchanged or bought reviews. All the reviews on Fiverr are not equal.
Also, do not hesitate to go through the profiles of the other buyers who left feedback to the seller. This will give you an idea if his/her reviews are genuine.
Before you hire someone, ask them if they have done similar work in the past.
If a seller asks you to hire him/her outside Fiverr, don’t do that. And even if the seller requests you to hire him/her on a different freelancing platform, don’t do that.
Keep your eyes on the order and check for progress. If the seller delivers the order and you did not respond within 72 hours, the order will be automatically completed. After then there is nothing to do except leave a review.
Conclusion
Scammers are all around the internet and Fiverr is no different. Fiverr should take all the necessary steps to protect its users. As a user, you should also be careful when transacting or providing services. If you don’t find comfort on Fiverr, you can also check some alternatives.
