Fake Clients Target Freelancers with Scams

If you’re a freelancer, do independent creative work, or otherwise work with clients, you’re often in charge of a lot of different aspects of your work. That includes keeping yourself safe from scams and fraud. It can feel great when someone contacts you out of the blue because they want to work with you. But it’s important to keep your wits about you. Scammers can pose as fake clients in order to scam you. Be aware and do your homework so you can spot and avoid their tricks.

How Fake Client Scams Work

There are a lot of different ways these scams target freelancers and independent creatives. But no matter the method, the goal is always the same. They want money. These fake clients may try to trick you into sending it to them, get access to your accounts or devices so they can steal it directly, or collect your personal information to access your money or credit through stealing your identity. Whatever their story or their tactics, their end goal is to steal from you.

These are some of the more common variations of fake clients that you may encounter.

The Fake Client Phishing Attack

This is the most simple and straightforward version of this scam. The fake client sends you a message inquiring about your work. They may start by asking if you’re accepting new clients, or by giving you a little bit about their project and asking if it’s something that you can work on. Sometimes they include an attachment or a link in the initial message, asking you to open the attachment for more information about the project or click the link to see their website or other details. Other times, they message back and forth with you for a bit first before they send the link or attachment. By engaging with you, they hope to build trust and establish themselves as a genuine potential client so you are more likely to click the link or open the attachment.

The goal of phishing is to get you to click something malicious. When you do click that link or open the attachment, it will infect your device with spyware, ransomware, or other malware. The scammer can then activate the ransomware to lock your device and files until you pay, collect your login information and use it to access your accounts, or even develop a different and much more targeted scam that you’re more likely to fall for.

Fake Clients Stealing Your Identity

In this type of fake client scam, the scammer’s goal is to steal your identity. So they’re trying to get as much personal information as possible. They usually ask personal questions. Often they want you to “verify” yourself, sometimes under the guise of trying to make sure you’re not a fake freelancer! They may do this by asking for a photo of your ID. Or they may create a fake verification or background check website and ask you to put your personal information into that site.

Sometimes, this includes a phishing attack. They could install malware that gathers your personal information until they have enough to steal your identity. But most often, if there is phishing involved, it’s done in combination with some of these other tactics so they can get as much of your data as possible. The more they get, the easier it will be for them to steal your identity, access your existing accounts, or get new credit in your name.

New Story, Same Old Money Games

One of the oldest tricks in the scammer playbook is money forwarding. They send you some money, and either they over-paid and need you to send some back or they want you to send part of it on to someone else. In the end, whatever they paid you never ends up in your account, and whatever you sent is gone. This is a very common way for fake clients to scam freelancers.

The story is, obviously, that they are a potential client. They often put some effort into looking legitimate, with LinkedIn profiles and often a website. Whatever company they work for is new, they say, so that’s why not much comes up when you search for it. They have an idea of what they want you to do. Sometimes they even have a full project brief. They’ll discuss anything you need to discuss and put a lot of work into looking legitimate. If they’re setting you up to forward some money, there will also be another person you interact with – often a project manager or another freelancer working on a related project. (In reality, these people are just as fake as the client.)

The scam part happens when you get paid for the first time. Either they sent too much and ask you to send some back, or the other person is having issues accepting payment and they want you to take the money for both of you and forward their portion to them. The money they sent to you won’t clear, and any money you send back or forward on to the other person comes out of your account. Then the fake client disappears.

Free Work Fraud

This version of fake client scams is on the border of a scam and fraud. It might be done by a scammer, but it can also be done by an unethical individual or business just wanting free work. It often targets newer and less experienced freelancers who don’t charge deposits, require contracts, or other things that can protect freelancers. But that’s not always the case. And sometimes these clients are willing to pay a deposit.

It starts very normally. The potential client reaches out to you, you discuss their project, and eventually you agree to do the work. They may even agree to pay a deposit. You do the work. And then you don’t get paid. If you charged a deposit, that’s all you get – if you didn’t, then you did the work for nothing. If there wasn’t a contract involved, it’s much harder to go after them legally. That’s assuming they put their real name on the contract. On top of that, pursuing legal action is expensive. These scams often count on freelancers not having the time and money to take a matter to court. Unfortunately, they’re often right.

How to Spot Fake Clients

Fake clients are extremely hard to spot, because some of the normal scam red flags don’t apply. We often advise people to be extremely suspicious of any unsolicited contact. But if you’re a freelancer or your work involves clients, you’ve probably done some advertising and shared your contact information. And it’s not unusual to get unsolicited messages from potential clients. Additionally, some of these scammers put in the work to make their potential clients and companies look at least somewhat legitimate.

It’s still good practice to be cautious of all unsolicited messages, even if they are probably genuine. And don’t let your guard down after you’ve messaged for a bit. Some fake clients put their red flags out immediately, but for some it will take a bit for the warning signs to become apparent. Requesting a video meeting or phone call can help screen out some of the fake clients, but not all of them. Deepfakes make it easier than ever to hide your identity even in these calls, and some scammers are willing to do the calls anyway to lend more legitimacy to their story.

Red Flags to Watch For

One red flag does not a scam make. Just because you spot one of these warning signs doesn’t mean you’re definitely talking to a fake client. But it is a sign to take a step back and verify that everything is genuine before you move forward. And if you find multiple warning signs, you’ve probably spotted a scammer.

• Sob stories. Sometimes fake clients will use stories of disability, medical issues, or the death of a spouse or business partner to gain sympathy and get you to let your guard down. Or sometimes they’re an excuse avoid phone or video calls.
• Urgency. It’s a classic sign of a scam. If it feels rushed, urgent, or like they’re pressuring you to act too fast is bad news.
• Vague or irrelevant. Be suspicious of requests that seem excessively vague or irrelevant to what you do. Even if they’re not a fake client, you don’t want to work with them.
• Poor grammar or language use. Context matters here. This may not be as big of a red flag if you regularly work with clients who aren’t great at English. And AI means that perfectly-written messages can still be scams. But it’s still a sign to be cautious.
• Big promises. Promising results above reasonable expectations should be cause for suspicion. If they’re talking up how great this will be for your career or offering way more money than you expect, that’s fishy. Also avoid anything where they say they can’t pay you but you’ll get a cut of the profits.
• Funny money methods. Unusual payment methods are a red flag of multiple types of scams. If the potential client wants to pay with Venmo, Zelle, Bitcoin, or anything else you couldn’t use to buy a candy bar at your local gas station, beware.

How to Avoid Fake Clients and Protect Yourself

There are some steps you can take to protect yourself from fake clients and their tricks. Even though it’s challenging to spot them sometimes, doing these things will help protect you.

• Don’t click links or open attachments. Avoid phishing tricks by insisting all information goes in the body of the message.
• Ask for business information. Even if they’re “new” or don’t have a website, you can ask where the business was registered and look it up. Scammers are unlikely to actually pay the money and do the ID checks to register a real business. If they’re not registered, tell them you’d be happy to look at their project once it’s registered.
• Require contracts and deposits. There are a lot of resources out there to help you draft a freelance contract; consulting a small business lawyer is also a great idea. Requiring a deposit can also scare off scammers who don’t want to put money down.
• Don’t share personal information. If they want to “verify” you, insist on using a trusted identity verification service. Never send ID photos or enter your information on an unknown site.
• Choose payments with protection. Stick to payment methods like PayPal invoices or your preferred card processor to accept payments. Many of these allow you to set an amount so the client can’t overpay. Do not agree to forward money to anyone, no matter the story.

Above all, stand firm on your safety practices. Don’t risk a scam to keep a potential client happy. And don’t be afraid to turn clients down. When you’re new or in financial trouble, it can be easy to want to accept all work sent your way. But if it feels weird or fishy, or if the client wants you to do something that seems risky, avoid it.

What to Do if You Got Caught

If you exchanged some messages with a fake client but stopped before you shared any information or lost any money, great job catching the scammer before the scam went too far! But scammers often sell lists of people who engaged with them to other scammers. Stay alert – you’ll probably be targeted by more scams in the coming months.

If you did send money, contact whoever you sent the money through immediately. Ask if they can stop or reverse the payment. They may not be able to, but it’s important to try. Also report it to their fraud department.

If you clicked on a link or attachment, run a virus/malware scan with your antivirus software. Then proceed as if they got your personal information – because they may have.

If you shared any personal information, take steps to protect your identity. Freeze your credit, sign up for free fraud alerts, and use the Social Security Administration’s myE-Verify tool to “lock” your social security number. Change the passwords on all of your accounts and turn on two-factor authentication. Get a copy of your credit report and contact the SSA for a benefit verification letter and look for anything fraudulent. If you spot signs of identity theft, file an identity theft affidavit and start working on recovery.

Whether or not you lost anything, you should still report fake client scams. You can file a report with your local police, report it to the FBI at ic3.gov, report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and to your state’s Attorney General.

Finally, don’t feel ashamed. Fake clients are some of the hardest scams to spot, and even scam experts can get caught in the right scam at the right time. Focus on recovering from it and staying alert, not beating yourself up about it.