Is it a scam or just a bad deal? How to sort a gig offer before you sink hours into it

What are the three rules for sorting a gig offer?

1. No fee. If they want your money, gift cards, crypto or bank login, it’s a scam. Close the tab. Recruiting only over a chat app like Telegram or WhatsApp is a red flag too.
2. Screenshot. Before you start, save the pay rate, the approval rules and the payout schedule. If you can’t find them, walk away.
3. Stopwatch. Cap your unpaid time and count every hour. Judge the offer by your real hourly rate, not the advertised one.

Short version: no fee, screenshot, stopwatch. The first rule catches scams. The other two catch bad deals, which are real but cost you time.

How do you run an offer through them?

Ask these in order, before you start any work, and stop at the first “yes.”

1. 1Question: Do they ask you to pay, send gift cards or crypto, or hand over your bank login, Social Security number or ID in a chat or email, or do they recruit you only over a chat app? See how to check.

   If yes

   Scam Close the tab. Don’t send anything, and report the listing.

   If no

   Go to the next question.

2. 2Question: Is any of these missing from what you can save or screenshot: the pay rate, the approval rules or the payout schedule? See what to ask.

   If yes

   Bad deal Walk away. You can’t price what you can’t see.

   If no

   Go to the next question.

3. 3Question: Estimate it: with every unpaid hour counted, would the real hourly rate fall below your minimum? See how to work it out.

   If yes

   Bad deal Decline, or ask whether the terms can change.

   If no

   Go to the result.

4. 4Worth a try Start small, and check your real rate again after the first week.

How do you check a platform in half a minute?

1. Find the company yourself. Type its name into your browser, and don’t use the link in the message.
2. Match the email. The recruiter’s email domain should be the same as the official site’s. A lookalike domain means stop.
3. Search for what workers say. Try “[platform] paid reddit,” sorted by newest, and read the replies as well as the top posts. Look for the same complaint from several people.

What should you ask for in writing?

Three things: the pay rate, how tasks are approved or rejected, and when you get paid. If someone won’t put them in writing, walk away.

Big platforms often have no recruiter to email. In that case the project or terms page is your writing. Screenshot it on day one if the platform allows it, or note the date and what it said, because terms can change later.

Hi [Name],

Before I start on [project], can you confirm in writing:

1. The pay rate (per task or per hour).
2. How tasks are approved or rejected.
3. When and how approved work is paid.

If it's all on a project page, send me the link and I'll save a copy.

Thanks,
[Your name]

What are you really earning per hour?

Unpaid time counts. Before you start, decide how long you’ll spend on an unpaid assessment, write it down, and stop when you reach it. Pick your minimum hourly rate before you see the offer, so you aren’t deciding after you’ve already sunk the hours.

Real hourly rate = pay for approved tasks ÷ every hour you spent, including rework and your share of any unpaid assessment. Here is one task as the hours add up (example figures, not any platform’s rate):

How do you know when to walk away?

Once you’re in, keep a note of each task’s ID, how long it took and its status. Then quit when:

• You’ve hit your time cap and the assessment isn’t done.
• Approvals drop, or rejections come with no reason.
• Support goes quiet after you’ve done the work.
• The terms change from what you saved.
• You passed, but weeks go by with no work.
• Your balance keeps growing without a payout.

If a task is rejected, ask the platform’s support channel for the reason, and cite the task ID and when you submitted it.