Is this a scam?

[antonis_gr]

A few days ago, I received a message by a potential buyer. They asked for a translation.

After a few messages, they asked how they can pay, since they were still new to Fiverr. I told them that they can do it through FIverr itself.

Then, they asked me how they could send me the document for translation since, allegedly, they couldn't send it through the in-platform messaging due to some error. I suppose they wanted me to give them my email address?

I told them to try again, then blocked them.

All this seemed fishy enough to me. Someone asking how they can pay (I think even a newbie on this platform knows that payments are conducted through the platform itself), then claiming they can't send the file they want me to work on.

This isn't the first time I have had a similar experience on Fiverr. It has happened to me at least once or twice before.

So, is this a scam? And if yes, how is this scam supposed to work? Has anyone here ever had a similar experience?

[rawque_gulia]

28 minutes ago, antonis_gr said:

So, is this a scam?

It can be or it might not be!

I often get new buyers asking, "How do we pay?" and I end up guiding them through the entire process, even for basic things sometimes. Also, when someone says the files didn't go through, it’s usually nothing to worry about. Just ask them to compress the files into a zip and resend them -- or use WeTransfer (it's a third-party storage website which is acceptable on Fiverr). Sometimes, adding attachments can be a nightmare due to server-side issues.

31 minutes ago, antonis_gr said:

And if yes, how is this scam supposed to work?

Just do not share your email address if the client says they will send the files via email. If they're asking for your email, t*legram, just block them and move on. From your side, as long as you don't violate any terms, you're good to go.

Also, never open zip files if they are password protected or compressed in any format other than zip or rar.

[smartdezigns]

1 hour ago, antonis_gr said:

Someone asking how they can pay (I think even a newbie on this platform knows that payments are conducted through the platform itself), then claiming they can't send the file they want me to work on.

In this case/scenario, you can tell your buyer that "I will send a custom offer to you on my own, he/she (buyer) just have to accept it". Afterwards, buyer will be on his/her own like order placement will take him/her to the payment method. So send all the files via Order Page's Requirements section.

I usually prefer this way instead of explaining how can they pay for work and what payment method they can choose etc. 

Edit: Never ever share your personal and payment details to anyone on Fiverr like @rawque_gulia has suggested.. 

Edited August 22 by smartdezigns
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