First impressions matter — especially when you're hiring someone online. But on Gig.tn, just like other marketplaces, some freelancers create fake personas with glowing reviews and polished portfolios that don’t reflect their real skills.
These scams are designed to trick buyers into placing orders based on deception.
This article breaks down how to spot fake reviews, stolen portfolios, and misleading gig pages — and how Gig.tn protects you from being fooled by a seller who isn’t who they claim to be.
🚨 How This Scam Works
Scammers will create a profile that looks highly trustworthy:
✔ Dozens of 5-star reviews
✔ Eye-catching gig thumbnails
✔ Sample projects that look top-tier
✔ Claims like “10 years of experience” or “100+ happy clients”
But behind the scenes:
Reviews may be fake (left by friends, bots, or purchased accounts)
The portfolio may contain work they didn’t actually do
They may use AI-generated bios or chat responses
Once hired, they can’t deliver anything close to the quality they promised
You pay, expecting professional results — but end up with late delivery, low-effort work, or nothing at all.
📌 Real Case Study: Copy-Paste Portfolio
Case: Sami, a buyer, hired a designer based on a gig with 12 glowing reviews and a beautiful branding portfolio.
The freelancer accepted the order, then sent back a low-quality logo made with a free template generator.
Sami reverse-searched one of the portfolio pieces and found it copied from Behance.
💀 What happened?
The freelancer had faked all their portfolio items.
Gig.tn refunded the buyer in full and banned the freelancer after confirming the fraud.
🎭 Common Tactics Fake Sellers Use
Stolen portfolio images from Behance, Dribbble, Pinterest, or AI tools
Gig thumbnails with AI-generated visuals or templates
Reviews posted by related accounts or friends
Fake bios filled with buzzwords like “agency-quality,” “award-winning,” or “certified”
Unrealistic claims like “delivered 300 orders in 2 weeks”
Some scammers also use fake names, profile pictures, or even claim to be agencies when they’re not.
🚩 Red Flags – How to Spot Fake Reviews & Portfolios
The profile was created recently, but has tons of reviews.
All reviews are 5-star, very short, and overly generic.
Portfolio work looks too polished for their claimed price.
Reverse image search reveals content taken from other sites.
The seller avoids details or gives vague answers about their work.
They refuse to do revisions or become defensive quickly.
If it feels too slick, too fast, and too perfect — you may be dealing with a fake seller.
🛡️ How Gig.tn Protects Buyers from Misleading Sellers
Gig.tn takes profile authenticity seriously. Here's what we do:
✔ Manual gig reviews before publishing
✔ Portfolio verification upon reports or red flags
✔ Strict KYC (identity verification) for higher trust accounts
✔ AI detection for stolen content, fake reviews, and AI abuse
✔ Full refunds for buyers misled by deceptive sellers
✔ Account bans for verified cases of fraud or portfolio theft
If you ever suspect something’s off — even after the order — report it immediately.
📢 What to Do If You’ve Been Misled
🔹 Contact Gig.tn support right away with:
Screenshots of the gig and portfolio
Reverse image search proof (if applicable)
Messages and delivery details
🔹 Cancel the order if it’s clear the work was fake or stolen 🔹 Don’t leave reviews until the situation is resolved
✅ Pro Tips – How to Choose Real Freelancers
✔ Look for sellers with consistent review histories over time
✔ Read reviews carefully — not just the stars, but what people say
✔ Ask for details in the chat before ordering (What tools do you use? What’s your process?)
✔ Ask for a custom demo or concept — paid, not free — to verify their skill ✔ Check if their style and work feel consistent across their gig
📢 Real Talent Doesn’t Need to Fake It
🔹 Don’t judge only by reviews — look for patterns, behavior, and transparency
🔹 If a seller avoids details, has sketchy reviews, or refuses questions — walk away
🔹 Gig.tn is here to help weed out dishonest freelancers and protect buyers who expect quality
🔹 If you’ve been scammed, speak up. We’ll investigate and act accordingly