how to spot the tele-scam

Have you been approached about a potential #freelance job, only to be told that you needed to be connected with a hiring manager/project manager or someone else who is "in charge" of the project via Telegram?

It's happened to me twice in the last week. Fortunately, I'm enough of a freelance veteran to spot the red flags from a safe distance, but others haven't been so lucky. And with a lot of freelancers finding work quiet this year, there's a degree of increased vulnerability to this type of scam.

Telegram, or as I like to call it, Tele-Scam, is the latest scam targeting freelancers. These scams usually take one of two forms:

- You'll be offered an extremely high rate for a fairly simple project. However, you'll also be asked to pay a small upfront free for administrative purposes with the promise that it will be paid back when your invoice is settled. Spoiler alert: it won't. And once you've paid the fee, you'll be ghosted.

- You'll be asked to provide sensitive personal information to be "onboarded" with the client. This could be your name, address and date of birth, or your National Insurance number, not just your bank details. Your details will then be used in identity theft and fraud that could leave you out of pocket.

Top tips for spotting the Telegram scammers...

🚩 You'll be offered unusually high rates or promised a huge number of projects
🚩 You'll be told you need to connect with someone on Telegram and it'll be made to sound like an informal chat/interview
🚩 The person you'll be contacted by will have a fairly new or inactive social media profile
🚩 You'll be put under pressure to accept the contract fast or risk "losing out" to others

AND above all else...

🚩 Trust your gut. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Or ask around in the freelance community. Anyone I know would be happy to help others spot a scammer.