Don’t Get Burnt – I did.

This article was written for Western Sydney Publishing and published in April 2026. Online services and gig platforms make it easy to post a task and get bids from people who want the job. Some examples are Airtasker, ServiceSeeking, Freelancer, TaskRabbit, and Upwork.

I have been using these over the years and, for the most part, have been very happy with the services. These companies generally charge you a listing fee and take between 15% and 25% of the amount paid.

These platforms are helpful because they quickly connect you with people ready to work, so you don’t have to spend time making calls or searching online. You often get several offers, but it can cost more than hiring someone directly. The convenience also means that workers pay high fees to the platform, and sometimes they might try to work with you outside the platform.

Recently, I posted a job seeking old pool tiles, along with installation. After months of waiting, someone contacted me and said he had exactly what I needed. After we spoke on the phone, he convinced me to skip the platform in favour of a better price. We agreed on a deposit, a date, and I shared my address.

I sent a deposit through Oska, but my bank held the money for 24 hours since he was a new payee. Right away, problems started. I got more than 25 abusive texts demanding payment. The messages began with personal complaints and soon turned into threats. One of the messages indicated he was on his way over to my house to sort me out.  He also called me over eight times, but I ignored the calls. This is intimidating behaviour and did spook my wife. Thankfully, we do have a surveillance system, and my wife will not answer the door for the next few weeks.

Looking back, I didn’t do my usual checks because I was just relieved to find someone with the right tiles. I agreed to work outside the platform and gave him my address. Only later did I look at his profile more carefully and saw it was new, with no references or past work. A quick Google reverse image search showed he had used stolen project photos. Basically, the profile was set up to target me.

This experience taught me a hard lesson. Now, someone who threatened me has my address. I reported him, but he still has my information. Next time, I’ll pay extra to make sure I use the platform’s protections.