Disclaimer: This article does not endorse or promote scams in any way. We believe that the best way to prevent scams is to understand how they work so freelancers can protect themselves.

Say your business has a lot of data entry work that needs to be done, but hiring someone to do it would cost thousands of dollars. Fortunately, you have one ability that most other business owners don’t possess—a conscience. If that sounds like you, then this tutorial is for you.

Step 1: Upwork: A Breeding Ground for Your Own Kind (Scammers)

You shouldn’t need me to hold your hand through this part. Create an account, verify it, and post a job offering an attractive yet reasonable income—nothing too high, as that might raise eyebrows.

Step 2: “Test” the Work Quality of Your “Potential” Freelancers

You have 100 pages of data entry work. All you need are 100 unsuspecting freelancers to do the testing—one page per freelancer.

Step 4: Rejection After Careful Consideration

Now that your work is done, it’s time to break the bad news to the freelancers: “I’m sorry to inform you that, unfortunately, your work does not meet our company’s standards. 😞”

Repeat When You Need Free Labor

How to Protect Yourself as a Freelancer

Don’t do free work.