Hello everyone!
I recently went through training for a remote profession, and clients were recommended to look for gigs on various freelance platforms. You know, it's not the only way, but it's definitely a real option.
The most popular platform is Youdo, but after checking out my niche, I found that they don't offer many gigs on this platform. Plus, the responses are paid, and there's no guarantee you'll get chosen, according to reviews. They even mention that even if you're not chosen, they won't refund the money for the response.
However, there are plenty of other job postings on the site that are relatively easy.
I also read about all the scammers in the reviews, which made me a bit skeptical.
But I decided to apply for this job anyway.
I've participated in market research before, and I know that there are super long surveys, but you usually get some sort of promo product for it. This time, the price was way too high and really threw me off.
The survey link was safe, so that was great. But the survey itself turned out to be really short – only about 10 questions. Where I was supposed to write 'My proposal', the guy just flipped the page and I didn't get to write anything. That also threw me off, and it didn't even seem to bother the client. They still sent me a link to get paid for taking the survey.
So, what's the value of this survey? Is it really worth $2400? For 5 minutes of my time? It's just ridiculous.
The link took me to a page where they asked me to add a map.
Check out the link at the end – it's not the real Youdo. They use a fake link that starts like the official one, but then they add some numbers to the name. It's called 'info766.shop', and it's just a scammer's way of getting you to enter your card details.
Another thing that threw me off was this condition: there needs to be a certain amount of money on the map! I thought maybe I was supposed to log in to the Youdo app through this link, since I skipped the paid response and wrote to the client directly in the ad.
After checking out the interface, I realized that this link and my account have nothing to do with each other.
I was left wondering how the client could even leave a review for my work, since I wrote to her outside of Youdo, and she wouldn't know my nickname.
‼️If you enter your card details here, your money will be deducted‼️ The condition that you need to have an equivalent amount is just a scammer's way of checking if you're capable of paying.
Under no circumstances enter your card details!
As this link has nothing to do with Youdo.
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Vaulting the interface when topping up your balance in the Youdo app.
The recipient is a legal entity!
And this is where the scammers come in, with the app's name and a fake order number.
Immediately, the assistant pops up, ready to answer all your questions. Youdo's app doesn't have that feature.
Checking the client's phone number, it's not in spam, but it does seem suspicious. Yandex says it's registered in Moscow and the surrounding area, but Get Contact shows a different region.
According to the law, income from tasks on such platforms is subject to tax: 6% for freelancers and 13% for individuals. Youdo's app syncs with the FNS's app for freelancers, and if you have a confirmed profile on Youdo, all your taxes will be calculated automatically.
Just log in to the My Tax app, authorize, and select Youdo from the list - it's at the very end. So, you need to consider how you'll report your income to the tax authorities.
It's perfectly fine to ask or inquire about the client's legal information, their INN, so you can issue an invoice. There are services that check the reliability of legal entities. ☝️❗️If there are no requisites - that's a reason to be cautious!!! It could be scammers!!!
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My Verdict: transparent payments are a must. I mean, you log into YouDo and see the order, along with when you can expect to get paid. There's this payment method called "No-Risk Deal via Bank Card"
I haven't used it, but from what I've read, it's the most reliable option.
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From my experience, I think there are some decent clients on the platform, but the moderation on YouDo is pretty terrible. If the site's admin doesn't crack down on scammers, they'll just keep writing about how there are plenty of opportunities for both clients and freelancers, but in reality, there are loads of fake listings. If they cleaned up the scammers, the number of ads would probably drop, and the site might lose its popularity and traffic.