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Ask HN: Outsource.com – Scam, Dark-Patterns or Just Bad Security?

1 points by unclebucknasty ↗ HN
Signed up at Outsource.com yesterday to determine whether quality projects can be found there. The first thing that stood out was the requirement to pay to submit a quote on a job.

Then, today, I received a series of e-mails with the subject "[First Name], you have received a job request for Web Development‏".

In each, there is a "Send Your Quote" button.

It seems that they are deliberately misleading people into thinking that a client is sending them an offer. However, on closer inspection, they appear to simply be automated e-mails that match jobs with you per your profile.

Then, of course, when attempting to send a quote in response, you must pay.

Worse, when you click the Send Your Quote" button, the underlying URL auto-signs you in! So, if you forward the e-mail to a friend, that friend can sign in to your account by simply clicking the link.

Does anyone have any experience with this company? Is it really this bad? Are there others that are of higher quality?

3 comments

[ 4.8 ms ] story [ 15.5 ms ] thread
skiril
don't know... their website kinda said that you have to purchase credit before you can bet on a job and list a reason for it. they also have a toll free number you can call with any questions next to email. I would say call them first and grill on every details. And if you feel its kinda fishy then abandon them completely... There are others and some of them already established their trust. Take a look at the following review, its a little bit old, but still relevant: http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/09/11-freelancer-virtual-assi... Good luck!
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jml27
I signed up also because a friend recommended it, but haven't done the subscription yet. I noticed that you have to pay on the how it works page before I created the account so that didn't bother me when I go to it. The jobs look pretty good so I think I'm going to try it.