You’re eager to get clients and get the money into your Virtual Assistant business, and this can sometimes cloud your judgement and make you susceptible to scams.
When we’re focused on one ‘problem’ and something presents itself to solve that ‘problem’ we can often jump in without the awareness we’d usually adopt.
It’s how people get conned by these romance scams. They’re lonely and that makes them sad and the opportunity to have love, which would eradicate the loneliness and sadness, makes them not see the usual red flags.
So let me share with you some red flags to look out for as a Virtual Assistant so you avoid scammers.
They Don’t Have A Business
You can check Companies House (not all businesses are listed there, so don’t fret if it’s not), Google, ask for their website address and check LinkedIn
Caveat: Not all potential clients will have a ‘business’, for example clients who want lifestyle support. I have a client who doesn’t have a business but is an aristocrat who needs help with her personal diary. In these instances I always ensure I follow the other red flag markers.
You Can’t Find Any Information About Them Anywhere Online
There was a chap called Tom Wilson in 2023 who was phoning endless Virtual Assistants wanting admin support. He’d have Zoom calls, phone calls, email communication and, to some, it all looked promising. Some VAs sent him contracts and he’d then ghost them.
A bit of Googling tells you he’s not got the business he claims to have. He’s got multiple conflicting LinkedIn profiles and there’s NOTHING about him and his ‘business’ online.
Ah, but he might be a start up. I hear you cry. You’re right, start ups would have very little if any online presence but equally they also wouldn’t be looking for a VA at £30+ an hour on a retainer as they’d have no income themselves.
They Want Money From YOU!
If someone asks you to do some work for them and asks you to pay them for anything, ANYTHING, it’s a huge NO. Block them and move on.
An instance that a lovely VA got caught up in recently happened like this:
- She was asked to do a typing job
- She completed the job and they asked her for $60 to register with their company
- They then asked for a further $150 for an ’employee verified ID card’
- They then asked for more. $200 to activate the ’employee verified ID card’
I know we’re all eager to get our business off the ground, but please stop and think ‘wait a minute’, or if you’re ever in ANY doubt come into the Facebook group and ask.
- Giving someone money for a job you’ve done, is not how business works. Imagine asking a hairdresser to cut your hair and pay you £45 to do it.
- Why would you need an ’employee verified ID card’? We’re not employees. We’re self-employed business owners.
- It’s always a scam if you’re ever asked to give someone money to get money back.
They’re Not From Your Home Country
Controversial? No. Hear me out. I don’t work with anyone outside the UK because of different laws, more expensive insurance, different data protection laws, potential for money laundering activities, losses on exchange rates and it’s hard to verify they are a legit company!
They’ve also got VAs in their own country so please ask yourself, ‘why are they contacting me?’.
Someone That Offers You More Money Than You Charge
Massive red flag and usually either money laundering, something else illegal or they won’t pay you at all.
Why on earth would someone offer you $2000 for a couple days work when you’re advertising for £30 an hour?
Someone Who Wants You To Take Parcels In At Your Home Address
No! No! No! It’s not too dissimilar to taking a suitcase from Bristol to Mexico for some bloke you met in the pub last Friday.
- What’s in those parcels?
- Why can’t they take them in?
- Why can’t they have them delivered to a safe box?
No!
Someone Who Won’t Sign Your Contract
I know it feels a faff getting someone to sign a contract and they seemed so lovely on the call. Their business is making millions, he said when he crossed his brown shoes over his large desk.
He’s promised me five hours a week for the foreseeable and can introduce me to loads more people…
He’s lying. If the brown shoes weren’t a big enough red flag, I don’t know what is.
You must ask clients – ALL clients – to sign your contract. Not got a contract yet? Get yours from KoffeeKlatch and use my affiliate discount code CATH10 for 10% off!
You may on occasion be asked to sign a client’s contract. I had an expert answer any queries you’ve got around that, here.
Someone Who Won’t Pay A Deposit Or The Full Amount
Always ask for a deposit upfront for ad hoc support or full payment if they’re buying a package or retainer.
This is primarily so it gets your bank details into theirs which makes paying any other invoices easier for them so there’s none of this ‘I sent it over, has it not arrived’ nonsense.
If they won’t pay it’s a NO from you. It’s a massive red flag – ask any experienced VA – if someone won’t pay a deposit at the very least.
‘Join Our Networking Group We Need A Virtual Assistant’
Now, for legal reasons I won’t call this a ‘scam’ but new Virtual Assistants are often targeted by people who frequent networking groups. One I can think of totally off the top of my head is, BNI.
They will fly into your inbox and say: ‘I’m part of a networking group and we need a VA to refer work to’. It’s absolute BS. Here’s what they actually mean:
‘I handed over a lot of money to join this networking group, which is rather like a cult, and we’re discouraged from working with people outside the group – kinda limiting our options – but also, we have to ‘recruit’ new members, and we have to attend every week (they usually start around 7:30) or if we can’t, we have to find some other poor sod who will come in our place. I’m trying to ‘recruit’ new ‘victims’ – usually new business owners as they are keen to get clients – by telling them we need a VA to pass work to, but in reality if we really had work for a VA we’d probably use Google to find one.’
It’s up to you whether you go, but I am always suspicious about whether business owners are busy enough to afford a VA if they can commit to such regular time out of the office with the same people every week.
You can avoid all of this by following the steps in my VA Starter Guide. If you’ve not invested in it yet, it could be costing you money.
If you ever have an experience where you’re being asked to process large money transactions or being offered large amounts of money then please do report it to the National Crime Agency as it may be linked to money laundering.