How to Deal With Scammers on Fiverr
How to Spot them, deal with them and reduce them.
Are you a new or early seller on Fiverr and receiving a ton of spam messages? Receiving these messages and no, or every few real orders can feel frustrating and overwhelming.
When I first started on Fiverr, I remember feeling disheartened and demotivated because the only messages I received were spam messages. I then received an order from a buyer who seemed professional and friendly but ended up dragging the order out, requesting a huge amount of revisions and then finally cancelled the order anyway.
Knowing what to do and how to overcome this can be tricky as a new seller and that’s why, in this article, I’ll use my experience to take you through how to spot scam and spam messages, how to deal with them and how to reduce them.
Ok, let’s get into it.
How to Spot Scammers
There are certain “red flags” when you receive a message on Fiverr that suggest the person may be a scammer.
- They ask you to take communication off the platform
This is one of the biggest things to look out for, especially when you first start out on the platform. If someone messages you and asks to move the messaging to another messaging platform i.e. discord or slack, asks to meet on Skype, or asks for any personal contact information, this should immediately raise concerns for you.
I’ll admit the 20% that Fiverr takes is sometimes a difficult pill to swallow, especially on larger orders. However, you are paying that 20% for several reasons. One of those is the protection afforded to you by the platform.
Also, be aware of scammers that begin with a legitimate order and then, with a follow-up larger order, try to take you off the platform. They build trust with the first order and then try and run the scam on the much larger second order, betraying that trust.
2. Incorrectly spelling words to avoid Fiverr’s automatic pick-up
You may know that Fiverr’s algorithm automatically picks up certain words that it deems to me spammy, scammy, or an attempt to take communication and/or a payment off the platform.
However, this is easily got around by changing the words slightly. Here are some examples:
- $kype
- P@yment
- emale
So, with a simple symbol in place of a letter, the algorithm no longer flags the word. Scammers know this and will use these types of tricks to get you to communicate and, ultimately, provide your service off the platform where it is much easier to scam you. Be very aware of this!
3. They demonstrate a poor level of English
So, first of all, I would ask you to be careful with this one. Fiverr is an international platform and, as native speakers, we take it for granted that English is the most cross-cultural language in the world.
However, for many people who are not native speakers, the language can be difficult. Therefore, a poor level of English does not necessarily mean the person is definitely a scammer.
However, it is something to look out for and be aware of. Very poor English and many spelling mistakes are often a sign of someone who is trying to scam or take advantage of you.
4. They Ask you for a favour
Any sort of message that asks you to send money somewhere because someone is in difficulty or sign up to a platform or site for somebody else, and they will pay you for it, should raise alarm bells.
Please do not fall for this. When you start out, keep communication and payment solely within the platform and you will be fine!
Tips for Dealing with Spammers
I have some tips for you that I hope will help you deal with spammy messages and scammers.
- Always message professionally and with integrity
This follows from point 3 above. You never know for sure that the message is spam. Perhaps the person's first language is not English or they are not used to how Fiverr works. They may not know that communication and payment need to be carried out solely through Fiverr.
Therefore, it is so so important that you always conduct yourself politely and professionally, even if you suspect that the message may be spam.
As an example, one of my best-returning clients currently, sent me a first message which I was absolutely positive was spam. However, I took my own advise and was professional and friendly and it turned out to be one of the best business relationships I have on Fiverr!
2. Ask further in-depth questions
Following on from the previous point; you can quickly gain further clarity on whether the message is spam by asking for more information about the project and the buyer's requirements.
The majority of scammers are not interested in getting into lengthy conversations. For the most part, they send their messages to a mass of different sellers and work on the fact that at least one seller with fall for the scam.
This is something you should be doing anyway as a professional on the platform to build relationships with clients and ensure you understand the client's needs before starting. However, it is even more important if you suspect that the message is spam.
3. Avoid taking business off the platform in the beginning
Following on from the first set of points because I want to hammer it home;
Please make sure, as a new or early seller you keep all business on the platform
Some scammers are very obvious but some are very clever. If you stick to the above rule for your early career on Fiverr, you will be safe from scams
4. Mark it as spam and report it
This is such an important step but one many people neglect to take. If you have any hesitation about a message or seller; make sure you flag it/them as spam.
This allows the internal Fiverr team to review the profile and other messages they may have sent and potentially ban them from the platform. In the process, you may also protect someone else from getting scammed.
5. Move on and stay motivated
I know receiving lots of spam and scam messages can be disheartening and you may start to lose faith in whether there are any actual real buyers on Fiverr.
As a successful full-time seller on Fiverr, I am here to tell you there are. I suffered my fair share of spam when I started out as well and it was very frustrating. It was 3 months before I got my first proper order and it really motivated and inspired me once I did.
For you, it may be shorter, or it may be longer, the point is that you have a good chance of being successful on Fiverr.
To quote The Handmaid's Tale;
“Don’t let the b**stards grind you down!”
If you do, they have won — and we can’t have that!
Flag the message, keep your chin up and move positively forward with your day!
How to minimize spam as a new seller
I have had quite a few sellers contact me and say they are getting lots of, and purely, spam messages. I have taken a look at quite a lot of these accounts and I have noticed a few consistencies among profiles that have this issue.
- Gig description is not properly filled out and in-depth
- Profile information is sparse or incomplete
- Poor quality gig video/gig image
The point here is that;
spammers and scammers will target new or early sellers who seem inexperienced.
You can differentiate yourself from the other new sellers on the platform by creating an as professional and in-depth profile and gig description as possible.
Also, ensure you have a semi-professional video or gig image. It doesn’t have to be amazing, just good quality (This is also a tip to increase orders generally).
Conclusion
OK, there you have it. It is very frustrating as a new seller to have all these spam messages coming into your inbox and very few if any, real buyers. However, I would ask you to remember that we live in the most amazing of times where anyone can go online and start earning money, almost immediately, from anywhere in the world.
Never in Human history has that been possible and with that opportunity, unfortunately, also comes the people that will try to take advantage. However, I really feel that it is a small price to pay for the opportunities that abound because of the internet, and reminding yourself of that may help you stay motivated and have faith that, you too, can be very successful on Fiverr!
As always, I hope this helps. Please comment if you have any questions and clap if you like this article, that really helps me to grow on Medium.
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Thank you for your support.
See you soon,
Christian
