Old Scam Reappears To Target Freelance Web Designers And Developers

People are targeting web designers and developers with an old scam. It will probably be familiar to eBay sellers as it was common on the platform. A person pays you with a check or for a product and overpays you by several hundred dollars. He or she then asks you to use the extra money to pay a non-existent shipping company, which only takes cash, to get the merchandise to them. The check is bad, but your bank doesn't let you know this until you've paid the fake shipping company. The seller would be out their merchandise and cash.

The latest reiteration of the scam involves an individual requesting a website from a freelance web designer or developer. The scammer requests a website and pays by credit card, which add to the legitimacy in the freelancer's eyes. The customer claims they have a graphic artist who already took photos or created custom artwork that needs to be paid. He or she offers to pay the designer and asks if they would forward part of the fee to the graphic artist. The freelance designer does this, only to find out the credit card was stolen. The scammer got the fee for the graphic artist, and the designer is left with nothing.

Scammers usually target new freelance designers who may believe it is a normal practice for the developer to pay the subcontractors, even if they didn't choose or hire them. After all, it's normal to outsource tasks if someone can do it better and faster. It's just not normal for the client to do the outsourcing.

To avoid being scammed, never agree to pay third parties. You can also check the address the client gives you online. They often pull addresses from property listings from real estate agents. Also beware of people contacting you in broken English; if they are not fluent in English, they would use a web design company in their own country to make commutation easier. For more information click here https://imgur.com/a/EtQItq5/.