how to identify scam freelancers?

[65a34cf0]

I have heard a lot about freelancers that take money and waste client's time but do not bother to deliver what they promise. How do identify such scums?

[petra_r]

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@Harshmeen K wrote:
I have heard a lot about freelancers that take money and waste client's time but do not bother to deliver what they promise. How do identify such scums?

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 As new and inexperienced client you should look at freelancers who have a long history and great feedback and a high Job Success Score, and maybe hire two or three for a short test at their hourly rate before choosing the best to continue your project with.

[bobafett999]

Also, look at their hourly rate and the money they have earned.  If there are many jobs in $5-$10-$20 range, be careful.

Also, 'TALK' to them.

[wlyonsatl]

Upwork has guidelines and rules for clients, which you should take the time to read and understand. You should also read the guidelines and rules for freelancers, so you understand how they are supposed to use Upwork and deal with you as their client.

I only use Upwork as a freelancer, so I hope users who are regular Upwork clients will also answer your question. If I did decide to hire on Upwork for the types of projects I work on, these are some guidelines I’d use:

• Follow Upwork’s rules and protocols to the letter during your first few projects. Don’t cut corners to get around those rules and protocols, until you really understand how Upwork works. Even then, only deviate from Upwork’s recommendations when dealing with freelancers you have already worked with and know well.
• Avoid freelancers whose fees are substantially below the amounts most freelancers are bidding on your project (taking into account freelancers in low-cost countries charge less than freelancers in high-cost-of-living countries and any difference in the quality of work you see in any samples they provide you). (But also see 7) below.)
• Don’t hire a freelancer who has not provided samples of their work to you
• Don’t hire a freelancer without first having a phone or Skype conversation with them
• Don’t prepay any freelancer for any work. (Using Upwork’s escrow system for fixed-price projects is not prepayment. You control release of those funds to the freelancer unless you ignore the 14-day limit for your feedback on work submitted.)
• Don’t use any freelancer who wants you to pay them using any method other than Upwork’s payment system.
• If you hire a freelancer with no track record of work on Upwork, give them a small task involving a small amount of work worth a small amount of money. If a freelancer is new to Upwork and offers you attractive pricing in order to get a first or second project under their belt, at least consider their offer and accept it if they don’t send up any red flags under the list above. Everybody has to start somewhere.
• Don’t rely excessively on Upwork’s Job Success Score (JSS) in selecting a freelancer. No one here knows exactly how the JSS is calculated, but we do know it includes some factors a freelancer can’t control (such as unreasonable feedback from previous clients). Upwork’s default minimum score of 90 when you set up a project as a client could mean you’ll miss perfectly good freelancers with scores of 88, 89, etc. But, if a freelancer has a dreadful score (is a JSS of, say, 40 even possible?), then it may be prudent not to consider them for your project.

There are a lot of hard-working, conscientious freelancers on Upwork, but there are bound to always be a few bad apples that Upwork hasn’t discovered and had a chance to get rid of. It’s probably a lot like a game of whack-a-mole for Upwork, so you are your own best protector against these thieves.

[tamashita]

That happens a lot! And to make sure you have found a reliable person to do your project at first you need to look at their profile to find out if they have a good success score, top rated is not a must but it would give you more comfort when hiring a freelancer, then you should look for the jobs previously done and feedbacks received.

If the freelancer does not have the above mentioned, you must look into their proposal, cover letter, tests passed, any certifications, etc. Once everything is fine with this you have found a good freelancer to work with! 

Hope this helps.

Tamara

SMM/ SEO Manager, Upwork

[prestonhunter]

I have hired over 75 freelancers.

I tend to hire pretty quickly.

I usually don't read proposals or cover letters.

I usually don't interview freelancers before I hire them.

If I hire a freelancer and she doesn't provide the work I'm looking for, then I close the contract.

If she provides great service and results, then I continue working with her.

[wlyonsatl]

Everybody's work methods on Upwork are different.

As a freelancer, I wouldn't agree to take on a project from a potential client who wouldn't have a call with me first and review samples of my work.

I have run into too many clients who really have no idea what they are actually hiring me to do, and then complain when I do what I know needs to be done. Just because they don't now what I'm doing doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing.

[gbalint]

As a software dev these days --I-- would be the one who interviews the person/company that wants me to join so I can eliminate entities that:

• have no idea how software development works
• doesn't know the cost (both in time and money)
• doesn't have other senior developers around
• doesn't have an established process for development (aka wants some new feature one week before the launch)

[prestonhunter]

re: "I wouldn't agree to take on a project from a potential client who wouldn't have a call with me first and review samples of my work."

Excellent comments from Gabriel and Will.

To elaborate slightly on my comments: I try to provide very complete (but concise) descriptions of the work required in my job postings. These postings are for freelancers in various categories such as writers, artists, illustrators, graphic designers, technical consultants, penetration testers, configuration specialists.

These job descriptions provide enough information for freelancers to do the entire job or (if they're working directly with me via screen sharing), the job postings provide enough information that they know exactly what they'll be doing.

This entirely or mostly eliminates the need for any "interview" period. Nevertheless, it is common for me to answer a few questions via Upwork Messenger if freelancers have questions before they accept a "Hire" offer. Many freelancers are quite willing to work for me after they view my client history and read the comments made by previous hires.

These concepts would necessarily be an effective strategy for hiring programmers for long-term development projects.