Freelance Scams: Red Flags and Warning Signs with Ricardo Fayet

As a freelancer or someone who utilizes them, how can you spot an imposter from an actual business or genuine opportunity? Today's guest is Ricardo Fayet. Ricardo is the co-founder of Reedsy, a community of over 150,000 authors worldwide and a curated network of 1500 handpicked freelance professionals from editors, cover designers, illustrators, book marketers, and publicists. They help bring over 500 books to life every month. Reedsy was named Book Tech Company of 2015 by UK Trade Magazine. Ricardo has been invited to speak at the Frankfurt Book Fair, London Book Fair, and dozens of other writing and publishing conferences.

Show Notes:

• [0:57] - Ricardo shares his background and what Reedsy is all about.
• [3:10] - There are other freelance websites that are very general. This means they are not very curated. But now there are other sites popping up that are more specific.
• [5:28] - Asking about work experience is really important.
• [7:14] - You must trust the platform you are looking for a freelancer on.
• [8:36] - When hiring a freelancer, you need to treat it as a hiring process.
• [9:48] - Illustrators and graphic designers are usually easy to hire because you can see their work and choose the style you like. Other jobs are harder to hire.
• [11:02] - One scam is companies hiring freelancers rather than hiring full time employees to avoid paying for benefits.
• [12:32] - If a platform guarantees a certain amount earned as a freelancer in the first month or two, doubt it and look at the fine print.
• [13:39] - There's a tricky email scam that is designed to force you into creating a profile.
• [16:28] - Create a profile, even if unused, to prevent other artists or freelancers from stealing the identity or your work. Well known platforms can also usually detect when there is a false profile.
• [18:20] - Large platforms won't be able to investigate until there are victims who have negative experiences with a freelancer.
• [20:01] - It is highly recommended to charge for services at the beginning of a project.
• [22:20] - A lot of freelancers on many platforms do not live in the United States and if there is a problem, the legal process becomes almost impossible.
• [24:00] - Platforms may charge a freelance fee which actually protects both parties.
• [27:01] - As a freelancer, you are very much at the mercy of the clients and their banks.
• [29:45] - You have to strike the right balance between solid contracts and trusting people.
• [33:05] - Don't hesitate to say no to a contract if you feel like something is off.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

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