The freelance scams you will actually run into

Every freelance platform has scammers. We review each posting before it publishes, but recognising the patterns protects you better than any system can.

The single most important rule

Never transfer money to get a job. Not as a deposit, a work guarantee, a training fee, an account-opening fee, or a registration fee.

Real work never charges the worker. Money flows from the client to you, not the other way round. This one rule eliminates more than half of all scams.

Five patterns you will meet

1. A deposit to "reserve your slot" They claim the project is large and want a deposit to prove you won't walk away. The amount is usually modest — ฿2,000–5,000 — so it feels low-risk.

2. Overpayment and refund They send a transfer slip for more than agreed and ask you to return the difference. The slip is fake, the money never arrives, but what you send back is real.

3. An unusually large "test task" They ask for a trial that is actually a full deliverable — design this entire landing page, translate these ten pages — then disappear. A reasonable test takes under an hour.

4. Immediate pressure to move off-platform The first message is "add me on LINE", with nothing about the work. Off-platform there is no record of the conversation and nobody to complain to.

5. Personal documents requested too early A copy of your ID card, bank book page, or an OTP code before anything is agreed. This material gets used to open mule accounts.

Warning signs visible in the posting itself

• Pay that is unusually high relative to the difficulty
• No job detail, only contact channels
• Pressure to decide within hours
• Text that reads like machine translation

What to do

1. Don't reply and don't comply
2. Use the report button on the posting or profile
3. Write to us through the contact form with screenshots
4. If you've already sent money, file a police report and contact your bank immediately — speed decides whether it can be frozen

We review every report and suspend accounts that breach the rules. Reporting helps the next person who sees the same posting tomorrow.

Check before you commit

Five minutes on these three things before starting with a new client:

1. Look the company up in the DBD registry — the Department of Business Development site is free to search. A real company has a registration number and address
2. Search the name and phone number — scammers who have been at it a while usually have warnings posted about them
3. Ask for a five-minute voice call — people intending to defraud you tend to avoid voice

Signals to walk away immediately

• Any request to transfer money first, whether it is called a registration fee, a deposit or equipment cost
• Pressure to decide today because "someone else is waiting"
• Unusually high pay for simple work
• An overpayment followed by a request to send the difference back — that is money laundering, and you carry the liability
• Requests for your bank details, an OTP code or a copy of your ID before any agreement

If it happens

Collect every message, transfer slip and the link to the posting. Then report in two places: the report button on the platform, and an online police report at thaipoliceonline.go.th.

If money has already moved, call your bank immediately — within 72 hours there is still a realistic chance of freezing the receiving account. After that the odds drop sharply.