Staying safe on the marketplace

Written for people who are about to send or receive money

Plumely introduces two strangers and takes no cut — which also means we can't get your money back if you're defrauded. Here are the real scams, most common first.

The one rule: a client never asks you to pay them

No deposit, equipment fee, licence fee, registration fee, or paying a third party they introduce you to — ever.
Plumely briefs never require a creator to pay anyone anything. If one does, it's a scam. Report it.

Forged payment proof

Screenshots, SMS confirmations and "receipts" are trivially faked. Only treat yourself as paid once the money is in your own banking app.
The overpayment trick: they "accidentally" send too much and ask for a refund of the difference. The original transfer is fake; your refund is real. Never refund an overpayment — tell them to reverse it via their bank.

Getting ghosted after delivery

Take an advance — 50% is normal here and asking for it isn't rude.
Deliver watermarked or low-res drafts until the balance clears; send the master file last.
Confirm scope and price in the thread before you start — it's timestamped, and it's the record a consumer forum will ask for.

Free work dressed up as a test

"Do a short paid test edit" sent to thirty creators, where nobody gets paid and the best submission ships.

Ask for a paid test — a real client with a budget will agree.
Be suspicious of a "test" that's really a complete, usable deliverable.

People pretending to be a brand

Read the verified domain, don't just look for a badge — an impersonator can only ever verify a lookalike like brand-india-media.xyz.
A brand-new account claiming to represent a large company is worth one email to that company's published address.

Being rushed off Plumely

"Message me on Telegram" isn't automatically a scam, but it's the strongest correlate of one — it removes the record.

Agree scope and price on Plumely first. Move wherever you like once there's a record of what was agreed.

Phishing and fake payment links

Plumely will never send you a payment link or ask for an OTP, a UPI PIN, or your password.
Check the domain before you click any link — lookalikes like plumely-pay.in are not us.

How to judge a profile

Verification badges are facts with dates ("Domain verified: acme.co.in, 12 June 2026"), not a trust score.

A verified domain or channel proves control of that asset today — not legal identity, finances, or intent to pay you.
Account age and how many different people someone's worked with matter more than a badge. An unverified account isn't necessarily a scammer; it just means the burden of proof sits on the work itself.

If something goes wrong

Report it from the brief, profile or thread. Reports are reviewed by a person, and a removed account can't re-verify the same domain or channel. Plumely cannot recover money — for that, your bank, the cyber-crime portal, or a consumer forum is next.

FAQ

Why doesn't Plumely just hold the money in escrow?+

Escrow means becoming a payments business — a cut on every deal, KYC on every user, a dispute process. We chose no cut, no hold, and honest warnings instead.

Someone scammed me. Can Plumely refund it?+

No — we never held the money. Report the account so it's removed and can't re-verify, and pursue recovery through your bank or the relevant authority.

How do I report someone?+

Every brief, profile and message thread has a report control. Pick the reason that fits and include specifics — reports with detail get actioned faster.

Questions about any of this?

If something on the marketplace looks wrong, tell us — early reports are the ones that prevent the most harm.