Freelancers: Watch Out for Scammy Discovery Calls (Quick Warning & What to Do)

In this quick episode, I'm sharing a warning about scammy discovery call bookings that freelancers are increasingly running into now that we rely on booking links. I've heard of calls being booked where the other person turns up just to hard sell to the freelancer, and a recent example from my team involved repeated bookings, a document that wouldn't open, and a prompt asking for an email address, lots of red flags!

If something feels off, I recommend Googling the person's email address or name, checking LinkedIn, and looking for reports on places like Reddit or spam-flagging sites (especially for phone numbers). These situations are rare, but it's worth being cautious, asking extra questions before the call, and sharing any scam trends you've noticed.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Topic

00:15 Discovery Call Scam Setup

00:44 Hard Sell Call Trap

01:02 Team Member Red Flags

01:36 Quick Vetting Steps

02:08 Stay Cautious and Follow Up

02:34 More Scams to Cover

03:07 Wrap Up and Goodbye

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