Elance And Freelancer: Scam Warning
This probably goes for all the bidding sites, but so far I’ve only noticed it on Elance and GetAFreelancer (or just “Freelancer”, as it is now known).
The scam begins with a posting that’s nicely paid: in this case it was a $3k budget with articles paid at $15 a pop.
Everyone bids.
A private message then appears for the bidders, reading something like this:
“I think we can work together. Our company uses the facilities at somesite.com, where the full job details are posted. If you’re not already a member, please use the following URL [somesite.com/referral] – membership is free by referral, so you won’t have to pay the usual setup costs. Don’t forget to upload a photo and educational background (there’s strict manual moderation and we wouldn’t want you to be removed).”
And guess what? Yup, there’s no company or job. It’s just someone who took a job on the bidding site to get “real referrals” to the membership site in question. Congratulations, you just earned a dishonest freelancer a few extra cents.
Thankfully, I saw this one coming and didn’t register. The giveaway was “strict manual moderation” on a site claiming to have 5 million members. Now that’s a full-time job!
Remember the Hill Street Blues line: “Be careful out there.”
Update: The project in question has now been cancelled by the dubious owner. I’ll take that as confirmation that it was a fake. The site scamming for members (via a third-party, perhaps) was VK.com – be warned.
Hey Spikester
Just popped in to wish to a merry whatever you celebrate or not
Thanks for a fine year of fine posts and laughs
As I so love to say – ‘Aaarl be baarck!’
Happy thoughts to you and all that you love…
Stephen G
VK was not scamming you
I think someone was trying to win their contest
If a in a contest someone is using a wrong method u cant call organizers the scammers
If you would have reported company about this scam they would have deleted him from your site
I have come by that scam more than a few times on the GAF site. It’s frustrating, and I really hope that the GAF team does something about it fairly soon!
Thanks for the heads up about it happening on Elance, too! I don’t use that site all that often, but I will keep a look out for them! =)
How’s it going?
I got cheated by this scammer for the same site. He goes with a screen name Omma.. something
How come no one mentions SEED.COM ? As an experienced writer l’ve had trouble getting ANYTHING approved by them even though l sent them 6 submissions. l wrote about subjects that SHOULD easily be accepted. They were well written . However each submission , according to them, never seemed to be good enough. lt was just a complete waste of time.
Khirad: You have a very good point – it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between a company and an individual using bad tactics to achieve their goal.
Jim: I suspect he creates a different username every time….
Bernice: Now that’s very interesting. I’ve never tried Seed, so I can’t comment on their procedures, but I have run into similar (equally strange) double-standards on other sites. You know, where you comply by their rules but aren’t accepted, while they’re happily publishing non-compliant material from other people.
There appears to be many scams on the web. Are there any websites that ANYONE would recommend as a good choice ?
Elance is nothing but a scam. They post false buyer jobs to improve their numbers. They do not adhere to any of their policies. They allow buyers to post multiple non-awarded jobs which service providers pay to bid on. They LIE and say buyers are automatically stopped from posting jobs if they award less than 20% of those jobs – however anyone can see that there are tons of buyers who’ve posted 10, 20 and more jobs that are never awarded.
Elance offers an escrow service but this is a scam as well. If you are a buyer who puts money into escrow it will ALWAYS be paid to the service provider NO MATTER WHAT. If you hire someone to setup a website and they upload a chicken soup recipe, Elance WILL release ALL of your Escrow money and say, “we can’t be responsible for the quality of work”.
Elance does not tolerate dissent. They never answer their phone, rarely return emails and their website is full of bugs. Many service providers and buyers who have complained on their forums have had their accounts banned.
I could write pages on the schenanigons going on over there. I learned my lesson the hard way (after they stole my money).
Elance has to be the worst scam out there.
I paid $350 into Escrow re a project for 60 SEO Links from a provider that failed to provide reports and project outcomes within specified period. Due to unforseen personal circumstances it was over the 6 month deadline period that I was able to pursue the provider further – unfortunately they no longer exist on Elance.
The project is not completed to satisfaction and a year later $350 sits in Escrow and I’m unable to return it to my paypal account.
I’ve tried on a couple of occasions to contact Elance – but all I receive is set of instructions including forms to fill in that specify a 6 month deadline less a set number of days – over which the Escrow money appears to roll up to the Bank of Elance.
As I say, project was not completed to time or satisfaction, I was over the 6 month deadline re claiming with supplier – but they no longer exist – and I seem unable to get my $350 back.
Please assist.
Bernice: It’s pretty much the luck of the draw. The sites themselves may be as secure as possible, but there’s nothing to stop scumbags finding ways to circumvent the system – as is the case with any “middle-man” situation. In general, the best advice is to be on your guard, get up-front payment (in part, at least) and “sign” your own digital contracts. The content mill days seem to be going now, too – see the recent post about Associated Content…
Hyter: I’ve heard that same accusation (about the creation of false projects) before, but haven’t seen any actual proof of it… which of course would be virtually impossible. I’ve also heard a lot of bad stuff about Elance – and a lot of good. I guess, like most things, it depends on your experience of it. I haven’t made an in-depth study or anything, so can’t really say – though I, too, have noticed the templated communications that are very limited.
Sarah: I don’t quite see how I can help… that kind of dispute is handled by whoever handles it and I’m just some blogger who happens to use Elance occasionally. All I can suggest is following the instructions they send.