Don't get ghosted. Assess payment risk before it's too late. Based on real freelancer stories of clients who disappeared.
• "Client ghosted me once it was time to pay" — $1,816+ lost
• "They took my source files to a cheaper vendor" — IP stolen
• "Said 'looks good, paying soon' then... disappeared"
"If I don't send files, I can't get paid. If I do send files, I risk exactly what happened."
Identify payment risks before you start working
Step-by-step checklist to secure your payments
Learn from real freelancer stories of clients who disappeared
Inspired by real freelancer stories of clients who ghosted
Source: Reddit r/freelance, r/smallbusiness