Fiverr is a popular platform for freelancers, but it's also a target for scammers. Here's how to spot and avoid them when freelancing.
With the rise in the number of people freelancing, and using global platforms like Fiverr, it's becoming more common for freelancers also to be targeted by scammers.
These scams are well-organised and deliberately convincing. They’re designed to catch people out. And when you’re just starting out, the likelihood of not realising that you’re being drawn into something intended to abuse you, is high.
So, as a collection of a few articles on keeping safe as a freelancer, here’s a few pointers about freelance job scams, starting with Fiverr.
Fiverr is a global platform where freelancers offer their services to clients. You create a profile, set up "gigs" (fixed-price service listings), and clients come to you. It's a popular starting point for freelancers looking to find their first clients or pick up additional work.
Clients can browse your profile and place an order directly, or they can message you first to discuss a project before committing. That messaging system is where most scams take place.
Someone contacts you with a job offer, but asks you to pay a fee first — for "verification," to "unlock" the project, or to cover some kind of processing cost. Fiverr will never ask you to pay to receive work, and neither will a legitimate client. Any upfront payment request is a scam.
A "client" places a real order but makes increasingly unreasonable demands, threatens bad reviews to extract free revisions, or disputes the work after delivery to get a refund while keeping what you made. Fiverr's dispute system can unfortunately be gamed this way.
Someone asks you to take the work and payment outside of Fiverr, via WhatsApp, email, or a direct bank transfer. Once you're off-platform you lose all of Fiverr's buyer/seller protections, and there's no guarantee you'll ever get paid.
Scammers attempt to get your login credentials, sometimes through fake "Fiverr support" messages, phishing links, or requests to "verify your account." Once they have access they can impersonate you, take payments, or lock you out entirely.
A client downloads your delivered work, then cancels or disputes the order to claw back their payment. Digital work is hard to "return," which makes this easier to pull off than it should be.
When a legitimate client wants to hire you on Fiverr, they place an order through the platform. You’ll see it in your dashboard as an order. That’s important. Fiverr is a marketplace, and all transactions are supposed to go through it.
However, on Fiverr, people can also send you messages and DMs.
Sometimes these messages will encourage you to transact “off-platform”. To share further details, to ask for personal information, to draw you deeper in, or even to ask for payment to unlock a project or “verify” your identity.
If someone messages you, that’s fine - clients can reach out before buying. But when it comes to asking you to deliver work (or when its time for you to get paid), this should always happen through an official order and “on platform”.
There are a few things you should keep an eye out for when using platforms like Fiverr.
That last one, paying for verification, is a common trick. Fiverr will never ask you to pay to verify your account or receive work, nor will any legitimate client.
Any time a potential client asks you to pay upfront to access work, whether that’s a registration fee, a verification charge, equipment costs, or anything else, stop and take a hard look before you share any information or hand over any money.
This pattern shows up across platforms, job boards, and direct outreach. There are plenty of other scams to watch out for as a freelancer too, and it’s worth knowing what they look like - I’ll write these up as soon as I can.
Beyond Fiverr, we also see scams taking place across platforms like LinkedIn, or even directly into your inbox. A common one is to receive an email from a well-known brand (“Hey, I’m emailing you from the marketing team a Addidas, we’ve got a project for you.”), but they’re emailing from a random gmail or hotmail account. The spelling mistakes are often a signal that something is wrong, as is the use of a personal email address rather than the corporate one. Even if you’re invited directly from a LinkedIn page - it’s worth a check. A profile with no followers, questionable career history, or a well known business personality, who happens to be sending you a message from another account - all behaviours worth a second thought.
As with all scams, if you see something that doesn’t feel right - listen to your instinct.
Before you click anything, share anything, or pay anything: pause. Look up the company independently. Find their real website, find a real contact, and check whether the opportunity is legitimate. A quick Google search can save you a lot of pain, or even sharing a message with fellow freelancers and getting their take can reassure you.
If, however, you feel you’ve already been attacked or scammed, especially if you’ve made a payment, it’s time to take immediate action.
Scammers target freelancers precisely because we’re often working alone, keen to find new work, and not always familiar with how a particular platform or process should work.
And unfortunately, many people who have been a target of fraud feel ashamed, despite being the victims. “I should have known”, “I should have spotted it”, “I shouldn’t have clicked the link” - and it’s unfair to blame yourself. You have been subject to a intentional attack, and you’re not to blame.
Whilst there are things we can do to protect ourselves, the first line of defense to recognise the signs, and slow down. And if something feels off, it probably is.
Our free weekly newsletter nudges on the things you need to know, with resources, guides and tools for freelancers.
