A Fiverr Guide for One of the Most Asked Questions: "I Got This Message from a Client… “ IT'S A SCAM!

[thejamuhh]

Hello, again! Since my last topic about "how to improve my gig" questions in the New Users Questions section went so well, I thought it might be time to address another common issue new members face. If you've just started on Fiverr, there's a good chance your first message was from a scam account. Let's face it: even though it's annoying, scammers are very good at tracking new members, new gigs, and recently adjusted gigs.

A Personal Story

When I first started on Fiverr, I received A LOT of scam messages. I understand why other new members might be confused or, more likely, enthusiastic about receiving their first order. After a while, I started to easily recognize who was fake and who was not.

 

In this mini guide… well, it could turn out to be a big guide, idk, I still have to write it :). I will go through ways to recognize these scams, and how to best protect yourself.

 

I have divided it again in the following topics:
 

• Before having a conversation on Fiverr

• What to do when you notice a message might be scam

• Recognizing the easy ones (with examples)

• Recognizing some difficult scams (with examples)

• How to recognize a real buyer

• How to stay safe on the platform

 

• My idea for a resolution. It's not a complete fix, but more of a “let’s reduce the possibility of scams as much as possible.” 

 

 

1 Before having a conversation on Fiverr

 

To everyone reading who has not started communicating through the Fiverr inbox: WAIT! It’s important to do your research first. You can read this article and call it a day, but I also suggest you find more topics about it on this platform, read Fiverr’s Terms & Conditions, and generally ask yourself: “Am I capable of using the internet safely, and do I know the dangers it can bring?”

If you blindly follow everything you see on the internet, you might want to check your computer for viruses and hacks while you're here. 😉

When you're just honestly not sure who is contacting you, use this guide to figure it out!

 

2. What to do when you notice a message might be scam

 

First of all, it's good that you were able to notice this! Now, don’t just simply remove the message. Let’s help Fiverr discover these scams and learn more about them to prevent future occurrences. Here is what you should do:

 

When you have the message in your inbox, hover over the three dots in the top right of the message. This is the "more actions" button. Here, you will see the following menu:

Look for the Report button. Its bright red color and flag make it easy to spot and unmissable. 😉

Don’t see this menu? Double-check that you are clicking the buyer's message, not yours. Your own message only shows the arrow button.

Now, when you press the report button, you will be greeted with the following menu:

 

You can do a few things here. Let’s go over them all.

“The user asked for payment or wanted to communicate outside of Fiverr”

 

Does this fit your report issue? Wait just a moment!

 

Does this fit your report issue? Wait just a moment!

It is possible that a client just does not know it’s not allowed to contact outside of Fiverr or make payments outside of Fiverr. You could try and clarify this for the buyer. If the buyer continues to push you, you can report them.

Also, report the buyer if they do not respond to your messages anymore. Why? It could be possible that they are now contacting other sellers with the same message and requesting payments or contact outside Fiverr, hoping to find someone who will comply. (This might be a scam tactic!) Keep yourself, but also others, safe on the Fiverr platform!

 

“The user behaved inappropriatly”

 

This is a 100% personal opinion situation. Keep in mind that you are allowed to have boundaries, and you are always allowed to speak up when a buyer does something inappropriate to you. I will give an example below:

A female seller has a clear image of herself. She gets greeted with the following message:

“Hello gorgeous! You are looking very good on your profile pic ;). I am looking for someone that wants to… work on some projects, with me! Are you interested? We could make a payment, or you could go on a date with me? haha! Let me know beautiful”

 

off topic: I got sick by even writing this. I’m sorry for everyone that had gone trough seeing a message like this! Let’s go back to the topic.

 

This message is (of course) not great, and it is a very unprofessional way of reaching out. As a seller, if this upsets you, you are allowed to report this as unwanted behavior! This is not a place for toxic “look at me, I’m more powerful than you” behavior. If you don’t mind messages like this… well, good for you… just a tip: don’t go on that date. 😉

 

“The user send spam”

 

If this user sent a spam message or possible scam messages, you can use this option. Spam reports are the most common situations in the Inbox.

 

“Other”

 

If you have an unusual reason to report, you can use the "other" button. Make sure to clearly explain why you are reporting this message! This can help Fiverr Support understand your perspective.

 

2 Recognizing the easy ones (with examples)

 

Scammers are very creative. While Fiverr does their best to remove these scams and find ways to prevent these messages, by the time Fiverr catches up with message form 1, the scammers have already developed scam message 2. It’s like walking a marathon where the first runner is just playing with the second runner by running a bit slower, then accelerating quickly! 

 

I sometimes see comments online about Fiverr not doing their best to prevent these messages. But let’s be honest, have you seen these messages before? The way they evolve in just a few days? There are many versions: a few months ago it was Telegram promotions, now it’s “Fiverr Support” messages, QR codes, complete fake Fiverr pages with links, etc. You name it!

Anyway, Fiverr, keep on working on it like you do! And sellers, keep on reporting these scammers! And to the scammers: I hope your microwaved meals will be forever cold in the middle!

 

Let’s see some easy examples:

 

1.

things that highlight the possibility of a scam:

1. A name, followed with numbers

2. A list with “available now” “available jobs” or “available projects”

3. A wide list of offerings (also offerings not related to the gigs you offer)

4.” For more information”

5. Overuse of emojis

6. The world telegram in general. And as in this example, with extra icons above it
7. a “@” with a username

 

This message is an easy one, and a well known format that is still being used!

Why is this still active you might ask? Because the scammers keep finding creative ways to write down the word “telegram”

 

My advice : As soon as you see the word telegram, in any message. REPORT!

 

let’s see another example: 

 

2.

How was this message triggered:

1 You just created a new gig

2 You just adjusted your active gig

3 You are online on Fiverr, and they tracked you down in a low search result overview with “buyer is online” option. (I get more of these messages while online, so this is my guess!)

 

things that highlight the possibility of a scam:

 

1. Again a weird name

2. They use bold or cursive fonts 

3. Mentioning “impressed by your profile” and being “impressed” They try to compliment you and give some false hope!

4. Mentioning of a “job”

5. Again mentioning telegram

6. A “@” mention

 

Now number 3:

 

things that highlight the possibility of a scam:

 

1. Sending “hi there” two times

2. weird use of &# symbols and numbers
3. a name, with again a few numbers

 

3. Recognizing some difficult scams (with examples)

 

Let’s go to difficult and more recent examples

 

First one, the new Fiverr support message

 

A new way of scam is scammers acting like the Fiverr Support.

REMEMBER: Fiverr WILL NEVER contact you through an inbox message. Always through E-mail!

 

These are a bit more difficult. Seeing Fiverr creates a sense of trust for some sellers. Be on the lookout for the following:

 

1. A Fiverr message in your inbox itself (will never happen for real!)

2. The name “Fiverr Support” but with a different username behind it.

3. Fiverr Support using a low res profile image, or discolored versions.

4. “On Fiverr since” less than a few months. Do you really think that a Fiverr Support account would exist since just a few months? No!

 

Let’s go to the next. A trusted account like this one

For privacy, I have removed the name. Why, you might ask?

This account has been an active seller since 2017, but it has probably been hacked by scammers who are now using the profile to gain trust from new sellers.

These cases are difficult to identify because they have a lot of reviews and have been "On Fiverr since" a long time (2017 in this case).

It’s important to look closely at the message that has been sent, using the earlier mentioned examples. Here’s an extra tip for this situation: Look at the reviews. When was the last review given? A few months ago? Then I’m sorry, but I am 100% sure it's a scam!

 

Onto the next one. A “waits for a response message”

 

In this case, I already noticed that it was highly likely to be a scam. Look at the name, with numbers at the end again. This account was created in the same month, with no reviews and no information.

What scammers do in this case is ask a question. While legitimate buyers might also ask questions, they probably wouldn't ask it in this form. I responded with a normal answer. Normally, with real buyers, I would have sent a longer, more informative answer, but in this case, I could smell the scam coming from miles away!

As you can see, after responding to this scammer, he immediately (in the same minute) sent me message 2, followed by asking for my Gmail address. Bingo! It’s a scam!

 

4 How to recognize a real buyer

 

You might think about stopping with Fiverr, but there are real buyers out there! So just be careful.

 

How to recognize a real buyer:

 

First look at their name, is it their company name, no weird names with numbers? Does the profile image contain a company logo? 

 

Tip: Google the company to see if it exists. And if you are able to see a name. Check the “meet the team” or “about us” pages on the website to see if you can find that name in there.

 

You can also analyze their first message. Is it short, or more? Is one of your gigs tagged?

 

A longer message with a tagged gig is more likely to be real. Because how else would a buyer find you. That does not mean every message should be linked to one of your gigs, but it’s just noteworthy.

 

What is the buyer asking? More information about your offering, about you, or asking for contact and payments outside Fiverr? Never accept contact or payment outside Fiverr!

 

Check their profile! Do they have reviews already? How long have they been active, etc…

 

Next, keep on the lookout while communicating. behavior might change, or they can try the scam at a later moment in the conversation. A, kind of weird moment was for me when I had a buyer tell all about “a project” he wanted to do and how he is from Asia and that he went here with his parents. Then started sending me a word document. When I said that I am not going to open a random word document (because I thought it could be a scam) he kept pushing. I suggested he copy paste the info in the file into the inbox, but he never did that. After a while he could not be contacted, but in this case, it was a very odd one. And because I did not open the word file, I can’t be 100% sure it was a scam.

 

In general, noticing a real buyer takes some getting used to, but it will be easier after time. Just use this guide the next time you receive a message.

 

5 How to stay safe on the platform

 

• Educate yourself on general safety measurements on the internet
• Read resources provided by Fiverr
• NEVER CONTACT OR ACCEPT PAYMENTS OUTSIDE FIVERR. 
• Never click any odd links
• Don’t scam QR codes
• Don’t provide buyers with your personal information
• Keep your account safe from hackers
• Think before you act!

 

My idea for a resolution (not a complete fix, but more of a “lets reduce the possibility of scams as much as possible” 

 

I would suggest implementing a course that every seller has to complete (without skipping) on how to be safe in their inbox. After completing the course, a seller can then use the inbox.

When the inbox is active, I also suggest a permalink somewhere on the screen that quickly shows points on how to recognize a scammer.

Finally, since Fiverr (I think) uses AI to scan how we speak to buyers in the order menu and can almost immediately detect phrases like “contact outside Fiverr,” “payment outside Fiverr,” and “Telegram,” they should develop a more effective system to scan buyers' first messages.

By this, I don’t mean an immediate ban from the platform. Instead, there should be a notification for the buyer that says:

"We are sorry, you used a messaging form that could potentially be a scam. We flagged the message to protect our sellers from active scam accounts. Please wait patiently while our team reviews your message.”

This notification could include a link to “Learn More About Buyer Scams,” where buyers can read more about the issue and understand it better.

That's it! These are all the actions worth mentioning that can help you recognize scams on Fiverr. I hope this will help you and other new sellers stay safe on the platform!

[filipdevaere]

@Kesha Can we add this to Editor's Picks?

[akib0079]

thanks for posting this - really well explained!
 

[uk1000]

4 hours ago, thejamuhh said:

REMEMBER: Fiverr WILL NEVER contact you through an inbox message

Fiverr staff might occasionally do that (and they occasionally buy gigs from sellers). Fiverr Support won't ever do that.

Edited August 2 by uk1000

[masud_digital]

Thanks for informing us.

[ab_jahid1]

Thanks for share this information.

[harunur__rashid]

@thejamuhh, Shared a great information. Thank you so much.