I thought I should write this post to call other sellers’ attentions to a common scam on Fiverr (and other platforms for that matter) so you don’t fall for it, especially if you’re a new seller looking for your first order.
The Scenario:
You get an message that sounds something like this:
“Hello, we are a movie house and we have a big up coming project and will be needing a lot of voiceover work. We like your voice and would like to order from you. However, we need you to send us a sample so that we can approve your voice with our client. The script is attached. Once this is done, we will go ahead and make a few preliminary orders and get the ball rolling. Oh, and can you let us know your estimate for a script of about 400 words?
Looking forward to working with you soon”
Sounds great right? Wrong! This is almost always a scam to try to get you to record their script for free.
This is how you spot the scam:
The “big time” buyer: “We are a movie house” - You’re thinking ‘yes! I’m about to gain a buyer with lots of money to spend”
The pie in the sky: “…we have a big up coming project and will be needing a lot of voiceover work” - you’re now thinking about how this could become steady income for a while.
The compliment “…we like your voice” - You now feel special. Of all the voices on Fiverr, yours is the one they like.
The ask: “however, we need you to send us a sample… The script is attached”. This is the scam. Here is the script… record it for free, thank you.
The Man in the middle: “… so that we can approve your voice with our client”. In case you were about to direct them to your Fiverr profile page for samples of your work.
The (we really are about to order) question: “ Oh, and can you let us know your estimate for…”
If you take a minute to think about it, all their questions can already be answered on your Fiverr profile. You do not need to provide a sample to anyone. That is why they’ve added the ‘Client’.
How I respond to this kind of message:
I have a quick look at their profile, and confirm they are phoney. They will more than likely have a stolen photo of a young lady, which I can find by doing a Google Image search. What professional organisation would do that?
I would then look at the script. It would almost always be nothing related to what they say they are. It would be work they’ve received from a 3rd party that they are now trying to get you to record for free, so that they can get paid for it!
I would then send them a custom quote with a polite message
That usually gets rid of them.
Don’t fall for these scams. Don’t work for free. If a big organisation wants to hire you, they will just order your gig. They won’t send you a script to record for free.
Hope this helps someone.
Adetorrent