Verify your freelancer is real before you pay
31% of gig workers rent their accounts to unverified strangers. You hire 'Sarah' — but 'John' in another country does the work. Platforms verify once at signup, then accounts get sold for $1,300+. Verify the actual person before every project.
31%
Of gig workers rent their accounts
$220M
Stolen in online job scams
48%
Of employers faced freelancer ID fraud
10s
To verify with SnapTrust
Platforms verify once — then look away
Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com check identity once at signup. After that, accounts are bought, sold, and rented freely. You have no way to know if the person on your Zoom call is the person whose profile you hired.
Account sharing is rampant
31% of millennial and Gen Z gig workers rent their accounts to unverified users. Verified Upwork accounts sell for $1,300+ on the black market. You hire a 5-star profile — a stranger does the work.
Ghost contracting is undetectable
Freelancers subcontract your project without disclosure, outsourcing to cheaper markets while charging Western rates. 48% of employers have dealt with freelancer identity fraud.
$220M in job scams last year
The FTC reported $220 million stolen in online job scams. 47% of businesses saw fraud attempts increase in remote hiring. One-time ID checks can't stop this.
86.5M Americans freelancing by 2027
The freelance workforce is exploding — projected to reach 86.5 million Americans by 2027. More freelancers means a massive unverified talent pool where bad actors blend in effortlessly with legitimate professionals.
$674.1B global gig market attracting organized fraud
The global gig economy is projected to reach $674.1 billion. That scale attracts organized fraud rings that create fake profiles at volume, farm reviews, and operate account-rental networks across multiple platforms simultaneously.
Trust boundaries for freelancer re-verification
A single verification at project start is not enough. Freelancer fraud often happens mid-project — after trust is established and access is granted. Set verification checkpoints at critical trust boundaries.
Project kickoff
Verify the freelancer is the same person who interviewed before granting any project access. This is your first and most important trust boundary — confirm the person matches the profile before sharing briefs, credentials, or proprietary information.
Before granting system access
Re-verify before handing over access to source code repositories, admin panels, cloud infrastructure, or customer databases. Account handoffs often happen at this stage — the person who interviewed is not always the person who logs in.
Before milestone payments
Request a quick re-verification before releasing milestone payments, especially for high-value deliverables. This confirms the person collecting the payment is the person who did the work — not a ghost contractor collecting on someone else's behalf.
When deliverable quality changes
A sudden drop in code quality, communication style, or work patterns often signals an account handoff. If the work feels like it is coming from a different person, it probably is. A 10-second re-verification settles the question instantly.
SnapTrust vs Upwork Identity Badge
| Feature | SnapTrust | Upwork Identity Badge |
|---|---|---|
| Verification frequency | Before every project or milestone | One-time at signup |
| Biometric liveness check | 3D liveness scan (iBeta Level 2) | No biometric verification |
| Cross-platform portability | Works across all platforms and direct hires | Upwork only |
| Account sharing prevention | Cannot be shared — requires physical presence each time | Badge persists after account is sold or rented |
| Cost | $4.99/mo Pro or $0.99 per verification | Free (included with Upwork account) |
| Verification speed | 10 seconds, any browser, no app needed | Days (manual document review) |
Verify the person, not just the profile
Before you pay, before you share access, before you hand over your project — verify the person behind the profile is real with a 10-second biometric liveness check.
Find your freelancer on Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, or through a direct referral. Before the project starts, send them a SnapTrust verification link.
They complete a 10-second 3D face scan on their phone — no app download, no account needed. Our liveness check confirms a real person, not a photo or deepfake.
You see instant confirmation: a verified selfie proving the person you're about to pay is real and accountable.
For ongoing projects, request re-verification at key milestones — project kickoff, before granting system access, or when deliverables seem off.
From $0.99. No subscription required.
End-to-end encrypted
Face data encrypted on your device before transmission.
iBeta Level 2 certified
ISO 30107-3 — the highest liveness standard.
10-second verification
No app download needed. Works in any browser.
Frequently asked questions
Other ways people use SnapTrust
Stop paying strangers
Upwork and Fiverr verify once — then the account gets sold. SnapTrust verifies the person before every project. 10 seconds, any browser, no app needed.