Protect your identity and integrity by avoiding fraudulent freelance job offers.
![Image credit: Studio City Neighborhood Council](https://freelancewritinggigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Scam-Alert.jpg)
Because freelance job listings characteristically involve short-term telecommute work, they’re easier to fake than full-time, salaried job postings. If you’re a freelancer looking for a new project, get familiar with these easy tricks for spotting freelance job scams:
Take a Step Back from Start-ups
Start-up businesses should not be universally painted with the job-scam brush; however, it’s important to understand that con artists exploit the entrepreneurial spirit of start-up businesses to weave their web of deceit.
Beware of freelance job listings from newly established businesses that promise income from future earnings or a percentage of profits after “X” amount of labor. If an employer cannot afford to pay you now, then you cannot afford to say yes to the job offer.
![Non-payment for freelancers](https://freelancewritinggigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/The-check-is-not-in-the-mail.jpg)
Never Pay to Work
Although this sounds like career advice from Captain Obvious, job scammers resort to inventive methods to coax freelancers out of money. Never agree to pay for a contract, design or training materials, or distribution costs.
Protect Your Samples
It’s difficult to envision a freelancer in 2014 who does not have an online portfolio of work generated from educational assignments, internships, or previous employment. When a potential employer presses you for additional work samples or detailed outlines pertaining to a specific project proposal, recognize that you may be on the fast track to getting swindled.
![Image credit: EAGNews](https://freelancewritinggigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Stolen-work.jpg)
Working for free on the promise of a job offer is bad business. Make sure you are always under the protection of a contract. If you readily provide free samples, don’t be surprised if you find your uncompensated work online, credited to someone else.
Avoid Calls for Inexperienced Workers
When have you ever contracted with a legitimate employer who is not interested in the professional and educational backgrounds of their freelancers? Even entry level positions require some measure of basic demonstrable skills or competency.
![Jason Voorhees Trust](https://freelancewritinggigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Jason-Voorhees-Trust.jpg)
Freelance job ads that boast “IMMEDIATE START – NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!” should be treated with as much caution as Jason Voorhees at a summer camp.
Respect Your Instincts
Similar to how you would refuse email lottery winnings from a “Nigerian prince,” go with your gut when conducting online searches for freelance employment offers. Remember to not take unnecessary RISKS:
• Research employers with accredited agencies, like the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
• Investigate employers on social media sites and with other freelancers
• Skip the spec work
• Keep your guard up when asked to provide sensitive personal information
• Stick to this promise: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
![Image credit: Manner Effect](https://freelancewritinggigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Trust-your-gut.jpg)
If you are solicited by a freelance job scam artist, do your part to stop the cycle of employment fraud and report the incident to the BBB’s Scam Stopper or file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
Have you been fooled by freelance employment fraud or are you aware of current scams circling the Web? Share your stories and tips in a comment.
Kimberly is the Social Media and Content Manager at Virtual Vocations, your one-stop shop for freelancers looking for legitimate telecommute jobs. Connect with Kimberly on Facebook and Google+.
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