The Rise of Job Posting Scams on Freelancing Platforms

For freelance workers such as content writers, developers, or web designers, platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork provide an array of opportunities for work. According to a recent study from Upwork, freelancers made up 38% of the workforce as of December 2023, comprising everyone from seasoned professionals to those just starting to dip their toes into the freelance world.

Though many find freelancing to be a flexible way to make a living, the rise of job posting scams on popular platforms has led to understandable frustration for freelance workers. These fraudulent postings are designed to exploit the skills of these workers and obtain free services for the scammer.

As fake job postings continue to wreak havoc on the livelihoods of freelance workers, those freelancers can fight back through education and awareness.

A growing problem

Ashley Manraj, Chief Technology Officer at Pvotal Technologies, has seen the rise of job posting scams on freelance platforms firsthand. “Job posting scams are a growing problem on freelancing platforms,” explains Manraj. “While these platforms often leverage reputation-based systems, similar to those employed by Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, and Uber, and employ AI-based validation enhanced by years of manual verification, they still face challenges.”

Overall, fake job postings and scams are becoming more common, surging 118% in 2023 across both freelance and non-freelance sectors. With the rise of AI, it has become far easier for scammers to post fake jobs across multiple platforms. Freelancers can be especially vulnerable as scammers consistently up their game, being left to their own devices to determine what is legitimate and what could be a scam.

The platforms themselves seem to be playing catch up with the ever-evolving technology used by savvy scammers. “These platforms are often reactive in their approach to combating scams, meaning they respond to reported incidents rather than proactively preventing them,” says Manraj. “This makes it difficult to effectively combat active disinformation operations from malicious groups like troll farms, who leverage human actors to flood platforms with fraudulent job postings.”

The growing problem of job posting scams can easily erode the confidence of freelancers,

disrupting their work lives and causing distrust in the very platforms that were initially built to help them succeed. The financial implications of ongoing freelance job scams can be significant and can deter talented workers from entering the freelance market altogether.

Spotting the scams

To protect themselves, freelancers must become adept at spotting scam job postings, reporting them, and avoiding them. By educating themselves, freelancers can save time, money, and frustration.

One of the best ways to spot a scam job offer is that the scammer will often contact you unsolicited. Reputable companies with jobs to offer freelancers will often want to see your work and know they are reaching out to an equally reputable person before offering a job. If someone reaches out offering work or a promise of payment completely out of the blue, it’s good to be suspicious — they are likely seeking to scam you.

Fake job posters also want to get the job of scamming you done quickly so that they may move on to the next target. If everything from the initial job offer to any interaction with the “company” posting the job is rushed, proceed with caution. Other signs to look out for include offers of “too good to be true” pay, correspondence that seems poorly translated or bot-written, or listings from companies that don’t seem to exist outside of the job posting.

To protect themselves, freelancers should do their due diligence by researching the companies posting the jobs and following their intuition if something feels “off.” Some freelance sites, such as Fiverr, have been working to improve vetting job postings and stop scammers before freelancers even see the posts.

For freelance job platforms to proactively work to stop scammers, they will need to up their technology game.

“Unfortunately, combating scams requires additional features and operational flows,” says Manraj. “A typical response would be to improve the poster verification flow with a slow mode requiring an identity association with more cash transactions to allow for more daily operations alongside malicious accounts bans.”

By working to stay ahead of rapidly changing tech, freelance job platforms can protect their clients and regain the trust of the freelance community.

As more people decide to jump into the sometimes choppy waters of freelance work, they will need to be aware of scams. Scammers are always on the cutting edge of technology because it benefits them financially. Therefore, freelancers and freelance job platforms must also be ahead of the curve.

As the gig economy expands, freelancers must help foster a culture of awareness and education about scam job posts. By remaining vigilant, freelancers can help create a market that maintains its integrity and continues to grow in relevance.