Recognizing and avoiding scams

Read the profile before the proposal

Before accepting work or hiring someone, take a proper look at the profile. New profiles only become public after our team approves them, but that approval does not replace your own reading. Check whether the description is specific, whether the portfolio shows work consistent with what the person promises, and whether previous reviews match the type of project on the table.

What the badges mean

Anyone who completes identity verification gets verified-professional status and a blue badge on their profile. That means a document and a selfie were submitted and approved by our team. Separately, the profile shows a verification level — none, basic, partial, verified or full — calculated from four signals worth 25% each: verified email, verified identity, verified payment, and the verified flag.

A badge is a good signal but not a guarantee of results, and its absence does not mean somebody is dishonest: identity verification is optional for freelancers. Treat the badge as one data point alongside the work history and the conversation itself.

Classic scam signals

• Artificial urgency: "I have to close this today", "I can only hold the slot if you answer now".
• An offer that is too good — a rate far above market for simple work.
• A request to talk or negotiate off the platform in the very first exchange.
• A request for advance payment by bank transfer, digital wallet or any external method.
• Requests for sensitive data unrelated to the job: your password, your six-digit authenticator code, full card details.
• A vague project description, with refusal to put scope and deliverables in writing.

Money stays on the platform

Never send or receive payment outside FreelasNow. Payments happen in the platform checkout, with the platform fee applied to the project and a record of everything charged. The moment the deal moves off-platform, so does the record that would support a dispute. Anyone proposing to pay outside is, in practice, asking you to give up your own protection.

If something feels wrong

Keep the conversation in the chat, ask for everything in writing, and do not continue on another channel. If the behaviour persists, contact platform support and describe the case in as much detail as you can. If there is already an active contract with that person, either the client or the freelancer can open a dispute, attaching up to 5 files of 10 MB each as evidence.