A message arrives on LinkedIn: a "founder" from a company you have never heard of wants a writer, a designer or an assistant, starting tomorrow. The pay looks good and the tone is friendly. Before you say yes, you need about an hour of checking. That hour protects your time, your bank details and sometimes your identity.
Most bad clients fall into two groups. Some are scammers who want money, data or free work. Others are real but disorganised people who will not pay on time. This guide covers both. It gives you a repeatable check you can run on any foreign client before you do a single paid task.
Why verification matters more for you
When you work across borders, you usually can't sue, visit an office or ask a neighbour about the person. Your protection is what you learn before work starts. A scammer also knows that many beginners are eager and will skip checks if the offer sounds good.
Verification is not about distrust of every foreign client. Most are real. It is about making the fake ones fail early, while you have lost nothing.
Step 1: Check that the person exists
- Look at their profile history. A LinkedIn account with a real work history, connections and activity over several years is a good sign. A profile created last month, with a stock-style photo and few connections, is a warning.
- Search their name with the company name. You should find consistent results: a team page, interviews, posts, conference talks.
- Reverse-search their photo. Google Lens or similar tools will show if the picture belongs to someone else.
- Ask for a short video call. A real client can spare 15 minutes. If they refuse every call and insist on text only, treat that as a serious flag.
Step 2: Check that the company exists
Look for a working website with a real address or at least a clear product. Then check a few things:
- Email domain. A company named "Brightpath" writing from a free Gmail or Yahoo address, or from a slightly misspelled copy of a real company's domain, deserves suspicion. Compare the sender domain letter by letter with the official site.
- Company registers. Many countries have public business registers. The UK has Companies House, and US states have Secretary of State business search pages. Search the name and see whether a registered business appears. Confirm how each register works on its own official site.
- Website age. A WHOIS lookup shows when a domain was registered. A "ten-year-old agency" on a domain registered two weeks ago is not telling the truth.
- Real footprint. Look for customers, reviews on independent sites, social accounts with genuine interaction, and employees whose profiles mention the company.
Small businesses and solo founders may have little footprint and still be real. In that case, lean harder on the payment checks below.
Step 3: Read the offer for red flags
| Signal | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| You are asked to pay for training, software, a "starter kit" or registration | Real clients pay you. See our guide on fake freelance offers that ask you to pay first. |
| You are sent a cheque and told to forward part of it | Classic overpayment scam. The cheque can bounce after you have sent real money. |
| Pay is far above normal for a beginner task | Scammers use inflated pay to rush you. |
| Hiring happens only through WhatsApp or Telegram chat, with no interview | No screening usually means no real hiring process. |
| They ask for your BVN, NIN, ID photo or bank login early | None of these is needed to start a first task. |
| Urgency: "start today or we move on" | Pressure stops you from checking. |
| Vague job description, lots of flattery | Real clients care about specifics. |
Never give your bank login, OTP or card PIN to anyone, for any reason. For payment you need only your account details or the payout email of your chosen service.
Step 4: Test how they handle money
A real client is comfortable with normal payment structure. Before work starts, agree on these points in writing:
- The price, scope and deadline.
- The payment method and who pays any transfer charges.
- When payment is due: for new clients, ask for a deposit (many freelancers ask for a portion upfront) or split the project into small paid milestones.
If the client is on a freelance platform, keep the contract and payments there. Platforms often offer some dispute process, but confirm the rules on the platform's own site. Moving off-platform early, especially when the client pushes for it, removes whatever protection you had. For payment options that work from Nigeria, read receiving dollar payments in Nigeria.
Step 5: Protect yourself with small first steps
- Start small. Offer a small paid first task rather than a big project.
- Don't do free "tests" that are real work. A short sample of your own is fine. Ten product descriptions for their live shop is free labour.
- Invoice clearly. Use a simple contract and invoice; our post on setting up a freelance contract and invoice shows what to include.
- Deliver in stages. Hand over a final, unwatermarked file only after payment clears, not after a "payment sent" screenshot. Screenshots are easy to fake.
- Confirm money has arrived in your own account or wallet before you send anything final or spend it.
A worked example (hypothetical)
Imagine Tunde, a graphic designer in Lagos, gets a message from "Mark," who says he runs a coffee brand in Canada and wants ten social media graphics.
Tunde runs the checks. Mark's LinkedIn has been active for years, but the company website was registered three weeks ago and uses a free email address. Mark refuses a video call. He also wants Tunde to buy a "licensed font pack" first and promises to reimburse him with the first payment.
That is three flags: a new domain, no call and a request for money. Tunde replies politely that he works on a deposit basis and does not buy anything for a client. Mark disappears. Tunde has lost ten minutes of messaging instead of a week of work.
Now change the story. Mark agrees to a call, has a working shop with real customer posts, and accepts a 50% deposit through a platform. The risk drops a lot, and Tunde can start.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trusting a polished website. Anyone can build one in an afternoon.
- Believing a famous company name. Scammers impersonate real firms. Check that the recruiter's email domain matches the company's official one, and contact the company through its official site if unsure.
- Skipping the deposit because you need the money. Need is exactly what scammers target.
- Sharing ID documents early. A real employer may need tax or ID details after hiring, through a proper onboarding system, not in a chat before a contract.
- Staying quiet after being scammed. Report the account to the platform, and keep chat records.
When the client is real but risky
Some clients pass every check and still pay late. Reduce that risk with milestones, short payment terms and a clear scope. If one does go sour, our guide on handling a difficult freelance client and keeping your pay covers the next steps.
Frequently asked questions
Is it rude to ask for a video call?
No. Professionals expect it. Frame it as a quick chat to confirm scope. A client who refuses may not be genuine.
Can I trust a client who found me on a freelance platform?
Somewhat more, but not fully. Scammers use platforms too, often by trying to move you to chat apps. Keep communication and payment inside the platform.
Should I ask for a deposit from every new client?
It is a sensible habit, especially for small clients and large projects. Some big companies have set payment cycles and can't pay upfront, so for them use milestones and invoices instead.
What if I already shared my ID or bank details?
Contact your bank right away, tell them what you shared, and watch your accounts. Change passwords on anything linked to that email or phone number.
Your next step
Take the client you are currently talking to, or the last offer you got, and run steps 1 to 3 on it now. Write down what you find. Then save the checklist as a note on your phone so you can repeat it before every new job.
Results from any side hustle or online work vary widely, and nothing here is a promise of income. Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay upfront to start earning.