Is this fishy or am I paranoid?

[annalyse_r]

Hey all! I have a bit of a strange thing that happened. A potential client contacted me asking for a breakdown of what I offer. I responded and he said that he’d like to hire me. However, instead of responding through the Fiverr messaging system, he took a snapshot of a message saying he’d hire me (he used my name and everything and mentioned things from my previous message so it was personalized and not a standard message). He attached the picture of the message via the Fiverr messaging system. I am very confused why he would do so. He then asked if we could talk over the phone about his needs. He’s a high rated buyer and has been on Fiverr for a while and he offered me a bit more money than I asked for. All his reviews are positive.
I’m not sure if I’m being paranoid or if something’s off here. I’m new so I’m not sure what the standard norms are.

[coerdelion]

Oh, you’re not being paranoid - these are red flags indeed.

The buyer may well be confused that you have a s kyp e offer there in your standard packages - do you have CS permission for that, btw? You know that’s a breach of TOS …

Turn the buyer down, pronto …

[annalyse_r]

Oh, you’re not being paranoid - these are red flags indeed.

The buyer may well be confused that you have a s kyp e offer there in your standard packages - do you have CS permission for that, btw? You know that’s a breach of TOS …

Turn the buyer down, pronto …

I’m glad I’m not being paranoid! I just sent him a message saying I couldn’t take the gig. Thank you! Could you point out what were the red flags? I was suspicious of using a picture instead of a message but I’m not sure why that would be a red flag.

Oh, I don’t have permission! I actually didn’t know I needed to. I just saw it said that if it’s part of the package it’s alright. I will contact CS right away; thank you for letting me know!

[coerdelion]

It’s just very odd behaviour. You’re new. Odd behaviour is a red flag.

Yes - get permission from CS for your gigs - both of them.

And read the terms of service - the bit where it talks about communication outside fiverr being forbidden, in particular: https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service

[annalyse_r]

It’s just very odd behaviour. You’re new. Odd behaviour is a red flag.

Yes - get permission from CS for your gigs - both of them.

And read the terms of service - the bit where it talks about communication outside fiverr being forbidden, in particular: https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service

Thank you so much! I appreciate the answers.