Fiverr is one of the most popular freelance marketplaces online so it’s very popular for buying and selling services. But it’s also one of the most vulnerable to scams for both buyers and sellers. From fake reviews to fake accounts, here are some tips to help you avoid being taken advantage of while you’re on the Fiverr marketplace.
Is Fiver Safe To Use?
Fiverr has been around since 2010 and has been one of the top freelance sites since it’s inception. It’s easy to use, popular, and a great place to buy inexpensive services. People use it to make money doing almost anything. But, as with any online store or marketplace, there are risks involved, especially when you’re dealing with someone else’s money. Here’s what you need to know about the some of the Fiverr scams that are out there.
Fiverr Freelancer Scams to Avoid as a Buyer
There are both scams for sellers and buyers when it comes to Fiverr. And although Fiverr does a lot to deter scammers in their system, they always seem to find a way. First we’ll look at how some Fiverr buyers try to scam you and what you should look out for.
If you are looking for someone to do some simple tasks for you, there is no reason why you shouldn’t hire freelancers online. But beware of Fiverr scammers.
The Seller Asks for Money Up Front
The way buyers interact with Fiverr is they order a service and pay for that service. But some higher end gigs are ongoing services such as social media management where the job will last for a month or sometimes even more.
This is a very risky spot for sellers because they don’t want to spend a month doing the work only to have the buyer refuse the order. But it also puts the buyer in a tough spot as well. So the seller may ask the buyer to approve the order while the work is going on. Once the order is approved, the seller gets paid, but may not finish the service.
Fiverr seller levels does a good job at stopping this scam but it does still go on in certain services. And there are legitimate reasons why a seller would want the order approved before sending it.
The Seller Asks for More Time and to Approve
Another popular way for sellers to scam buyers is to try and convince the buyer that they need more time for the order. They ask the buyer to mark the order as complete for some reason. Maybe they say the deadline is approaching or something and they don’t want their seller rating to suffer.
Whatever the reason, don’t mark an order as complete until it’s actually complete. Typically, the seller will offer something extra as an incentive to you marking the order as complete. Once you mark the order as complete, you’re basically telling Fiverr that all is good, and the buyer should be paid. After this, the seller doesn’t need to complete the actual order.
Talk is Cheap
Buying from Fiverr is just like buying from anywhere else. A slick talking salesperson can try to convince you to buy something that is absolutely awesome. For Fiverr sellers that absolutely awesome thing is their service and while they may be great at it, they may not know nothing about it. Only how to promote it well.
Make sure that you read about how the sellers other buyers feel about the seller and how they rated them. Look for specific signs that they helped the person in a way that is offered in the gig. Remember, you’re buying high-quality work, that should be what is delivered.
Seller Asks About Contact Info
A big red flag when it comes to Fiverr is when a buyer wants to contact you outside of Fiverr. Fiverr is very tough on outside communication because basically it can lead to cutting them out of profits from the sale. Of course, it’s better for scammers to get you off the Fiverr site if they can.
Once off the Fiverr site, a scammer can promise anything, and you won’t be protected by Fiverr in any way. Not only may you get scammed out of money for the service itself, but you may face all sorts of problems if the service provider has access to your accounts such as Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, etc.
With that being said, as a seller, getting people off Fiverr and contacting them by email on some projects can be a huge help and if you’re selling this is a goal for many sellers. But buyer beware, leaving Fiverr can be a troublesome and risky move.
The Offer: Is it too Good to Be True?
Lowball pricing is often an indicator of a scammer trying steal money from you. If someone offers you a lower price than what you are paying for something, it could be a sign that the person is inexperienced and/or does not know how much work he/she needs to complete. There are many reasons why people offer lowball prices, including inexperience, lack of knowledge about the project, and a desire to take advantage of you.
Always check the reviews on each Fiverr gig to determine if they are the right freelance worker for you. You want to make sure that the person you hire is trustworthy and reliable. Check out the seller’s profile to determine just how long they have been on Fiverr selling as well. Scammers are more likely to be new users who can disregard the account if anyone questions them. Of course, they likely just move on to another account to scam from.
Also Check Out: Best Fiverr Profile Description: Build a Profile That Sells
Even Sellers can get Scammed on the Fiverr Platform
While most scams are aimed at Fiverr buyers there are scams which Fiverr sellers should be aware of. And many of these scams exist on many other freelance marketplaces as well. The core concept of most of these scams is either getting something for nothing or trying to blackmail the seller into sending money or services to the buyer. Here are a few scams you should look out for as a seller:
The Buyer Isn’t Satisfied with the Service
In a perfect world, a seller would create something and send it to the buyer and the buyer accepts it. The seller is then paid, and the buyer uses the product or service they bought. But where this breaks down is that the buyer doesn’t actually accept the order and the seller is never paid. The buyer then uses the product without paying for it. The seller basically done the project for free.
One of the most common categories this happens in is the writing category. A buyer may order a large article for their keyword which costs, let’s say $50. The seller writes the article and sends it over to the buyer. The buyer can download and store the article and post it on a website then tell the seller that it isn’t up to their standard, not good, etc. The order is cancelled, and the buyer get their money back.
The seller likely won’t know for weeks or even months that their content was basically stolen. Since search engines now take longer to index content, even searches for the content may not yield results for some time. By this time, they have moved on to other sellers. This is of course, against the terms of service for Fiverr but it is something that scam artists use.
Signs of a Bad Client on Fiverr
This type of scam goes on in many areas in Fiverr as well. Most of which involve sending stuff to the buyer and hoping they are satisfied. The biggest problem is that it can also be totally legitimate reason why you may not accept an order as a buyer, after all, the article may not have been good.
As a seller its a good idea to always search for your content that was refused by buyers to see if they show up. Most times if a buyer posts the content you do have avenues you can take because of Copyright infringement with the articles. Contacting hosting providers and Fiverr about the content is a great place to start if you find you have been scammed by a Fiverr buyer.
Also Check Out: Crafting the Best Fiverr Search Tags to Gain More Gig Exposure
Overall Tips to for Avoiding Scams on Fiverr
When ordering from a freelancer on Fiverr, it’s important to remember that not all sellers or buyers are created equal, and some are just looking for a quick buck (or $5). There are scammers out there who will try to take your money without delivering the promised work, so it’s important to be aware of the signs of a scammer before placing an order on Fiverr. Here are some tips to help you avoid being scammed on Fiverr:
Do your research & Read Reviews
Before ordering from a freelancer on Fiverr, take the time to read their reviews and look at their past work which is located on each gig page. This will give you a good idea of what to expect from them and whether or not they’re someone you can trust with your order. The more 5-star reviews they have the more likely it’s a high-quality service.
Look at their profile on Fiverr
Take a look at their profile to determine how long they have been selling and such as well. Along with the reviews of another Fiverr gigs they may offer. Sometimes scammers will create multiple gigs once the bad reviews start to add up too much. Look for positive reviews from clients that have been on the site as well. You may have reviews left by fake accounts which only have a few reviews overall. So be weary of fake reviews. Pay close attention to any negative reviews as well.
Be clear about what you want
When placing an order on Fiverr, be as clear and specific as possible about what you want and ask questions about the service with the freelancer. The more information you can give the freelancer, the better chance they have of delivering exactly what you’re looking for. Be an active buyer
Communicate with the freelancer
Once you’ve placed your order, be sure to keep in touch with the freelancer and ask for updates on their progress. This will help to ensure that the project is going as planned and that you’re happy with the results. Most freelancers don’t mind questions or comments about their services if they care anything about customer service. This can also help you determine if they are a real person that is on the freelancer platform.
Always Pay through Fiverr Payments
When paying for a freelancer’s services, always use Fiverr’s built-in payment system. This will provide you with protection in case anything goes wrong with your order. Of course, you’ll also pay transaction fees which can be quite high compared to a $5 gig, but it does allow you some protection and security for your payment.
By following these tips, you can help to ensure that you have a positive experience when ordering from a freelancer on the Fiverr platform. Remember to use your common sense and, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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