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I've gotten several rather disturbing question requests on Quora recently, so I want to make something absolutely clear:
If you are a freelancer, and a client asks you to transfer money to them for any reason, you are being scammed. 1/
If you are a freelancer, and a client asks you to transfer money to them for any reason, you are being scammed. 1/
In freelancing, money flows *to* the freelancer *from* the client in exchange for deliverables.
Money should never, ever flow *from* the freelancer to the client, except in cases where a client accidentally overpays - and even then, see if you can get some extra work instead.
Money should never, ever flow *from* the freelancer to the client, except in cases where a client accidentally overpays - and even then, see if you can get some extra work instead.
Quorans keep asking me things like "I got a client on Freelancer but they want me to send a deposit before I start work, am I being scammed?"
YES. 100 PERCENT YES. THIS IS A SCAM.
YES. 100 PERCENT YES. THIS IS A SCAM.
We can argue over whether freelancing platforms are also a scam (I say yes; there's zero reason to pay for leads, but reasonable minds can differ), but when a "client" wants you to pay money to work for them, there's no argument.
That's a scam.
That's a scam.
Look at it this way:
If you ran a bakery, and you sold bread to restaurants, would you sell bread to a restaurant owner who said "I'll want you to make our bread but you have to pay me $100 first"?
The restaurant is YOUR customer, not the other way around.
If you ran a bakery, and you sold bread to restaurants, would you sell bread to a restaurant owner who said "I'll want you to make our bread but you have to pay me $100 first"?
The restaurant is YOUR customer, not the other way around.
I've seen the suggestion that perhaps these "clients" want a deposit so the freelancer doesn't flake on them.
If that's their concern, the answer is a contract. Or an employee.
It's not to charge another business for the privilege of delivering a product.
If that's their concern, the answer is a contract. Or an employee.
It's not to charge another business for the privilege of delivering a product.
Tl;dr Freelancing is a business. You are a business offering services to other business.
You are not an employee, and you sure as hell should not be paying someone else for the privilege of doing a job for them.
You are not an employee, and you sure as hell should not be paying someone else for the privilege of doing a job for them.
