How to detect buyers lying about their proficiency in a language

[the_civil_panda]

I've noticed from some posts that some buyers order and then find out that the seller isn't proficent in English or any language they claim to be proficient in. I know most people aren't swimming in cash and just want the service they're promised.

the trick is to first check out if they have any samples of their work. However, they could've copied that, so look for something that's rare and couldn't be copied. Secondly, notice their spelling and punctuation in the description. And finally, the best advice I can give you is to go to their profile and see whether they've taken the Fiverr English test and how they scored, I would say that's the litmus test for determining whether the seller is actually fluent in English.

If they're claiming to be proficient in a language other than English, check the reviews. That should give you an indication as to whether they're being truthful or not.

Good luck, don't get scammed!

[imamiopial]

“How to detect buyers lying about their proficiency in a language”

 

Do you mean sellers?

[vickieito]

4 hours ago, the_civil_panda said:

And finally, the best advice I can give you is to go to their profile and see whether they've taken the Fiverr English test and how they scored, I would say that's the litmus test for determining whether the seller is actually fluent in English.

Not really. I thought it was a silly test. They gave me 40 minutes to take the test and I finished it in less than 10 minutes. I scored a 9/10, which was lower than some of the sellers I've considered buying from (and who I found couldn't even string a decent sentence together).

For me, the best test of a seller's English ability is to chat with them in the order chats or do a quick Zoom call. I also like to do a mini order to test their services out and see what it's like to work with them.

[melanielm]

There are people on this forum telling others how to cheat on the English test. I don't think that's a good litmus test for language proficiency at all. Conversations seem to work better, in my opinion.

[hinawaqas609]

Simply by

• Description check
• Brief conversation
• Asking complex questions
• Grammar check
• Ask for references 
• Writing samples

Lastly pose complex questions and scenarios and be attentive to their replies.I also provide services in various languages. Feel free to ping me.

[saadatique]

Pro tip: Arrange a zoom meeting and YOU'RE DONE. 

[roundedsquares]

Hey! I would recommend to arrange a quick 10min call with the seller and you will be just fine. 

Every time I purchase a gig, I always have a call with the seller prior to finalising the order. The reason for this is that knowing a language is one thing, but understanding what someone is asking, in this case the buyer, it's another thing. 

Arrange a call, you won't regret it. If the seller doesn't want, then maybe you need to change seller. 

[newsmike]

18 minutes ago, roundedsquares said:

Hey! I would recommend to arrange a quick 10min call with the seller and you will be just fine. 

Every time I purchase a gig, I always have a call with the seller prior to finalising the order. The reason for this is that knowing a language is one thing, but understanding what someone is asking, in this case the buyer, it's another thing. 

Arrange a call, you won't regret it. If the seller doesn't want, then maybe you need to change seller. 

TOS:

[smartdezigns]

3 hours ago, roundedsquares said:

Arrange a call, you won't regret it. If the seller doesn't want, then maybe you need to change seller. 

Are you referring to Zoom? Or direct call using phone numbers? Clarify it.

[seoexpertazmin]

 

Talk: Engage in conversation to assess fluency.

Tests: Use language proficiency tests.

Samples: Request work examples.

Terms: Test specific vocabulary.

Culture: Ask about cultural knowledge.

Responses: Watch response speed.

Complexity: Use intricate language.

Mistakes: Note common errors.

Tasks: Assign small language tests.

Grammar: Check for errors.

[vibronx]

22 minutes ago, monoara_1526 said:

Thanks for your right comment 

What’s so right about it? All the scammers cheat on that test anyway. It’s not a good way to judge if somebody is a fluent English speaker.

EDIT: Oh, I see you cheated on it too...

Edited October 14, 2023 by vibronx

[hasembd]

Yes, this topic holds significant importance. There are numerous valuable suggestions here, and I'm grateful for all the insightful contributions. However, I'd like to bring up an observation: What might occur if an English-proficient seller lacks a strong understanding of the services they're providing? Recognizing and comprehending the services is equally crucial.
Other hand, someone is very well at conversation than speaking to understand the projects. So you can check the reviews provided by many buyers. And then you can start the projects with the seller.

[rabihumakhan]

The Fiverr test is similar to an online exam. You get plenty of the resources to use and cheat. 

The only way to weed out the liars is to chat with them. 

I didn't mention the zoom because a lot of sellers find it difficult to 'speak' English due to the reason that they don't speak it on a daily basis and may find it hard to conversate. On the other hand their writing ability may be better than many of us. 

[qubemotion]

That's a big issue, I was once invited to webinar held by fiverr, this topic was one of the main subjects in the meeting,, I remember I asked them what happens if a buyer because of this issue cancels a the order and then one of the staff replied that this issue must be resolved with CS team, all I know this issue was under investigation by fiver since 2020 and as result they added google translate button and Grammarly add on to chat for both client and seller.

Honestly this problem goes both ways, A seller or even a buyer can just lie about it and fiverr can not do anything about it except providing tools to minimum problems.
You can simply ask some distracting questions to check if your seller or buyer understands you however I strongly advice not to do it. Simply ask if client can understand you and if not make sure he approves the description on your gig.

[nikki12203]

I just did this. I asked her if she was located in USA and she said she was. I checked the time stamp on the message thread and asked her if she was really in the US because it wasn't 6 hours ahead in any state right now and she blocked me. I only called her out because like other people I have messaged with, she couldn't form a sentence to save her life.

[bitwiseauto]

If you landed on a Fiverr gig and had doubts about a seller's communication skills or fluency in English, would a gig video showing the seller talking about their gig increase your trust/confidence in the seller and help remove those doubts?

[navid_zafar]

Did you reach out Fiverr support to report those scammers?

[Kesha]

On 5/24/2024 at 12:06 PM, cai2024 said:

What a shame but Fiverr's greed  has turned the platform into a major hub for scammers, liars and cheats.  the latest scam I've encountered is the seller listed as US based who are actually foreign-based sellers engaged in identity theft.  I've hired or tried to hire sellers for various projects and 3 out of the 4 turned out to be from foreign countries and pretending to be US based because they think they can charge more money.  Some of these people don't even speak English and use Google translate.

also don't be fooled by the "Online Now" option.  Sellers have figured out how to pretend they are online and send an automated message to respond to your inquiries

IF ANYONE FROM FIVERR IS MONITORING THIS FORUM, MAYBE THIS WILL GET YOUR ATTENTION.  YOU ARE ABOUT TO GET SUED FOR NOT PROPERLY VETTING SELLERS AND TURNING THE PLATFORM INTO A HUB FOR FRAUD JUST BECAUSE ITS IN FINANCIAL INTEREST TO ALLOW THE LARGEST NUMMBER OF SELLERS AS POSSIBLE.  YOU THINK YOUR ONLINE TERMS OF USE PROTECTS YOU BUT IT DOESN'T PROTECT YOU THE WAY YOU THINK.  

Hi! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Location inconsistencies are something we take very seriously here. If and when you encounter a situation where a seller is based in a location other than what they advertised on their platform, we encourage you to report the situation to Customer Support so we can investigate it and take action as needed.

Further, many sellers opt for auto-responses as a way to acknowledge buyer's inquiries immediately until they have the time to respond. This is not against our rules on the platform. 

[thateamltd]

On 8/20/2023 at 4:38 AM, the_civil_panda said:

I've noticed from some posts that some buyers order and then find out that the seller isn't proficent in English or any language they claim to be proficient in. I know most people aren't swimming in cash and just want the service they're promised.

the trick is to first check out if they have any samples of their work. However, they could've copied that, so look for something that's rare and couldn't be copied. Secondly, notice their spelling and punctuation in the description. And finally, the best advice I can give you is to go to their profile and see whether they've taken the Fiverr English test and how they scored, I would say that's the litmus test for determining whether the seller is actually fluent in English.

If they're claiming to be proficient in a language other than English, check the reviews. That should give you an indication as to whether they're being truthful or not. 

Do you mean sellers who do this? 

[gorgeka111]

I don't necessarily agree with having a quick call with the seller to determine if they are honest with their language skills. Even if the call is expected to last for 5 minutes, it may end up exceeding 10 minutes and in my opinion, this is a "productivity loss" for the seller. Imagine if the seller did this for 10 buyers every week. They provide free service automatically for a few hours per week.

Personally, I would ask the seller a few questions and see how they respond. Secondly, ask for some samples of work. Usually, they would include samples of their work on their seller page.

Ask them a few questions regarding their services and see how they respond. Do they sound the same as other sellers? Also, keep in mind that sellers from non-English spoken countries may have some communication difficulties which is very common, but in my opinion, most of them seem to understand the buyers' requirements/demands.

Finally, whether they have completed the English test is a good indication.

Edited July 11 by gorgeka111