Girllyn:
Whenever I get hired for a fixed-price contract, I immediately set up server space and I give the client all of the root credentials - the same credentials that I have. I do all of my work on that server. The client has constant access to all of the work that I am doing.
Let me tell you about some different freelancers:
Bill was hired to do a fixed-price contract, for $1500. It was a big project. Bill did the assigned task. But then the client asked for changes - asking for things that were not specified in the original agreement. Bill made those changes. Then the client asked for more. The client kept doing this, and Bill ended up doing a lot more work than he had planned on. Bill SHOULD HAVE told the client "no" the very first time. But Bill was new to Upwork, and didn't understand that he should NOT make those changes. In the end, Bill felt like he was "scammed."
Fred was hired to do a fixed-price contract. The client wanted to hire Fred to work on the project for $1500, to do the whole thing. Fred said that instead of doing that, we should do just the first part, for $50. So the client set up a $50 fixed-price contract. After Fred did the task, the client asked for changes - things that weren't in the contract. Fred said "no," explaining that the client can't for things that aren't in the written agreement. The client insisted. Fred closed the contract and walked away. He had only spent 15 minutes on the task. He could easily afford to walk away from an unreasonable client.
Dan was hired to do a fixed-price contract. The client wanted Dan to work on the project for $1500, to do the whole thing. Dan said that we should just do the first part, for $50. After Dan did the task, the client asked for changes, things that were not in the original agreement. Dan said no, because those things weren't in the written agreement. Dan said that if the client would close the current contract, he would work on those things using an hourly contract. The client released the $50 milestone payment and closed the fixed-price contract. The client hired Dan using an hourly contract. It turned out that the client had lots of things she wanted done that were never part of the original discussion. Dan ended up earning $4500 on the project, and the client was extremely pleased with Dan's work.
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You asked: "Is it possible to get scammed?"
It is indeed possible for a fixed-price contract to go wrong, leaving the freelancer feeling like he was scammed. My advice is to TEST any new client you haven't worked with before by starting wth smaller fixed-price tasks. See if the client pays as agreed and doesn't ask for other things. Also: Know how to deal with the situation if a client asks for out-of-scope work.
With thought and practice, a freelancer can get better at avoiding doing out-of-scope work. But no matter how good you are as a freelancer, it IS possible to run into a client who doesn't understand how to use fixed-price contracts correctly. If you get hired for a very large contract and do a ton of work, it IS possible for a client to be unreasonable and NOT release payment to you as expected. That is why I advise caution when dealing with an unfamiliar client. Would you rather do $50 worth of work, or $1500 worth of work, before learning that a client is a scoundrel?
