Scammers are those pesky inconveniences that sometimes teach us awful lessons about how to be more guarded. They talk with specific keywords, behave in odd manners, and have a familiar pattern that once you recognize, you’ll be able to spot it.

Rule Of Thumb

Never engage with any scammers. The moment you bite the hook the engagement will be endless. This is true for those “Nigerian prince inheritance” emails and “scam jobs” texts. This will send a message to the scammer or bot that you are available for harassment with different methods. Worst, they’ll probably let the other accomplices know you could be a potential victim.

Scammer’s Patterns

• Lack of introduction or explanation of the project.
• They contact you without studying your services or portfolio.
• They are very persistent and always in a hurry in the beginning.
• They’ll swear they are unable to find more info about you online.
• They may bombard you with compliments with bad orthography.
• They want to conduct business their way and possibly via email only.
• They are focused on confidential information like bank account details.
• They always make a small but drastic mistake of lending you too much money.
• They will ask you to click a phishing link, which may be long with a variety of letters and numbers.
• The main payment is a check (this method is still legal, you just need to be careful or refuse such payment).
• They initiate the business by offering you a certain amount of money without much discussion or negotiation.
• They will let you know that your PayPal has an issue about not accepting the money, but PayPal can’t notify you directly via their platform in the notification system???

My Latest Fraudulent Job Offer

I was approached with an unexpected email in January from an agency similar to LinkedIn, but suspicious and fraudulent due to the people involved. Initially, I saw on my LinkedIn that staff from that agency looked up my profile and sent me a message to join their platform. I ignored it.

Later on, I was contacted by the official Sr. Recruitment Consultant (she is legit on LinkedIn, as well as her email). She never bothered to introduce herself or explain the company; and claimed that I did join their phony platform because she “saw” all my details in my “official account” and thought I was suitable.

I noticed that the link didn’t make sense and scanned it, it was later revealed it contained malware. I told her about the issue and that I never consent to the creation of “my profile” in their system with my details. She answered 3 days later, dismissing my concerns and trying to make an official interview, while telling me that I could ask her anything if I had questions or concerns. Oh, and on top of that, asked me to be an accomplice by searching for more victims. Fucking absurd…

How Do Fraudulent Checks Work?

Fake checks are notoriously difficult to detect, usually, the scammer asks to make a payment by check with all the information stipulated and agreed upon by both parties. You receive a check deposited into your bank account and 2 things can happen:

• The check contains an amount that exceeds the total previously agreed upon, and the scammer will ask you to return the difference later. Sometimes that extra amount is disguised for “the second phase” of the project.
• Once the fraudulent check is deposited into the bank, due to a closed account, insufficient funds, or mistakes in the details, and bounces back. Consequentially, the bank will inform you about the issue and charge you a returned check fee or impose other penalties for depositing the bad check.

One of their most efficient strategies is to do it during weekends or holidays since the bank is not working. They constantly change channels to disorient the victim, erase evidence, avoid tracing to the source (prepaid phone), or delegation so that the principal continues to find other victims.

Why Does Fraudulent Checks Work?

Unfortunately, this is because there is a misconception that funds are authorized and accessible in the account once deposited. Many people think that these are transactions with “legitimate” reputations. Usually, banks take about 1-5 business days to transfer the funds to your account for accessibility; however, this protocol can take longer (1 month), especially if it is a foreign bank. Once the funds are deposited, the bank can determine that the check is fraudulent over time. This is because the check may look legitimate, including your signature, customer information, and your account with real funds.

How To Spot Red Flags:

• They are cautious about being investigated and choose not to leave much uncovered, their goal is to obtain confidential information to benefit financially illegally
• Their offers are too good to be true. Try to research the position and type of pay and corroborate the information with your friends and colleagues.
• They tend to have multi-level marketing scams and pyramid schemes by impersonating people, companies, or organizations, so be cautious and search for keywords or patterns.
• Scammers are impatient, insistent, tend not to give many details, and usually accept quotes more quickly without questioning anything.
• They appear to be detail-oriented at the beginning, eager for the transaction, but they do not pay attention or ignore the scope of the project.
• They ask you for money in exchange for having access to the job offer to do it (e.g. they ask you to buy an exclusive program from them to do the job or pay a fee for their equipment that must be used in your job).
• They send you extra funds or cancel you unexpectedly and then ask for a refund.
• They can send plagiarized content to later claim it from you.
• The content of the message has copy-paste elements, spelling errors, plagiarized visuals or formats, and suspicious links, among others.
• They demand that you use a specific program or tool to access accounts with confidential information or monitor your every move.
• They ask you for confidential information such as your social security number, postal address, bank account number, among other details.

Tips:

• Check the title and content of the email for spelling mistakes, strange links, emails with an extra digit or letter, copy-paste content, and stylistic inconsistencies (different fonts, logos, colors, formats, etc.)
• Make sure your name is not mispronounced and carefully examine details or confidential information that connects you to yourself (names of your colleagues, companies you work or have worked with, etc.) so that it is not passed off as a legitimate offer.
• Accept and perform work on platforms monitored by the same companies to reduce risks (e.g. Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, etc.) although this does not guarantee that scammers will not avoid such platforms.
• Do a deep and extreme search of the scammer or supposed client to corroborate that the information or details are false. You can do a search of their full name, the company they work for, the name of the email, etc.
• Use online electronic payment systems like PayPal, Wise, or Stripe to protect your vital bank account information (account number or bank name). Most banks offer this service.
• It is recommended not to accept payments by check, especially from new clients, and simply opt for other electronic services.
• If you receive checks from serious clients, try to wait at least 2 weeks or call your bank to confirm the legitimacy of the funds. This way, you avoid having the transaction charged and/or being penalized with fees.
• BONUS – If you are asked for free exams (for example in the area of ​​animation or comics) try to make it a made-up assignment (to demonstrate your skills only) that is not related to the current project and that does not take you more time (e.g. more than 3 hours) than you usually produce for a paid piece. You can also demand payment for such exams.

If You Became A Victim

Alert your bank, they have the responsibility to investigate and reimburse all types of fraud, but as with everything, it will depend on the circumstances of your case and the laws of your location. Alert other freelance colleagues to prevent them from becoming future victims, especially if your email account is compromised through hacking/impersonation. Also warn the corporations, organizations, or platforms that these scammers mentioned or impersonated. And finally, file a complaint report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and/or with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Possible Solutions

Access Your Account Via App Or Website – If your account is met with an “issue” according to the communication with the scammer, your platform will notify you directly via email and or notification. Now, there have been cases of fraudulent emails that have replicated the same PayPal structure HTML and are somewhat similar to an undetected email domain and phishing link.

Offer External Secure Sites – When a “scammer “potential client” asks you to click something via email, offer them external sites that are designed for artists with commissions and are supported with payment services, such as VGen, Ko-Fi, Gumroad, Artistree.io, etc. This will deter them from committing any fraud against you.

Avoid Being An Accomplice – If no “negotiation is successful” don’t be fooled if they ask you to recommend someone suitable you know about for the job or spread their message. This will get you in serious trouble.

Don’t Open Links Via Phone – Always make sure to hover on top of the questionable link to see on the bottom of your monitor a brief reveal of the URL. You can always scan suspicious URLs via NordVPN, F-Secure, or UrlVoid link checkers.

Ignore The Messages – I know that to make sure these are legit customers must engage with them, but if you are seeing some patterns and keywords in their message, ignore them. The moment you engage, they might harass you for the long term with different accounts and tactics.

Thank You For Reading!

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