# Spot a fake client inquiry with AI

> Researched. Small business · Beginner · Leads. Updated 2026-11-02.

Canonical page: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/spot-a-fake-client-inquiry-with-ai/

## What it does
Paste a new client inquiry that feels off and get a red-flag check, such as overpayment, pay-to-start or odd payment requests, plus safe questions to ask before you do any work.

## Who it's for
Freelancers, designers and small service businesses getting new-client emails that seem too easy, too vague or too rushed.

## Tools
- ChatGPT or Claude
- The inquiry email, with your own details removed

## Steps
1. Copy the inquiry. Remove your own phone number and address before pasting.
2. Run the prompt below. It checks the message against common scam patterns and lists what is normal.
3. Read the red flags. The FTC says if someone asks you to pay to get a job, that is a scam, and if they want you to deposit a check and send money back, that is a sign of a fake check scam.
4. Ask the safe questions it suggests before you start work or accept any payment.
5. Never send money back from a payment that has not fully cleared, and never pay to start a job.
6. If it is a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the platform it came through.

## Copy-paste prompt
Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.
```text
A new client sent me this inquiry. Check it for scam warning signs. Use only the message text.

Inquiry: [PASTE, WITH MY DETAILS REMOVED]
My service and usual price: [E.G. LOGO DESIGN, $600]

List:
1. Red flags, each with the exact words that triggered it (overpayment or refund requests, pay-to-start fees, gift cards or crypto, rush to move off-platform, vague or copied brief, mismatched names or email domains).
2. Things that look normal.
3. Three polite questions I can ask that a real client would answer easily.

Do not tell me it is definitely a scam or definitely safe. Say what the message shows.
```

## Guardrails
- What it touches: Chat input you provide (ChatGPT or Claude; The inquiry email, with your own details removed).
- Needs your OK: Send, pay, publish, and account changes stay with you. Treat agent output as drafts first.
- Safety level: Read-only
- Trusting a check because the bank made funds available; that is not the same as cleared.
- Letting urgency rush you past normal steps.
- Pasting your own personal details into the chat.

## Tips
- A real client answers simple questions about the project; scammers push for payment steps.
- Keep payment on the platform or your own invoicing tool.
- Search the sender's company name and email domain yourself.

## Estimates (labeled, not measured)
- Time saved: About 10 minutes per suspicious inquiry.
- Money saved: Not stated in sources.
- Tool cost: Free tiers work. Prices: Not stated in sources.

## Sources
Summaries use the public sources below, not independent verification.
- FTC: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams (Job scams: if someone asks you to pay to get a job, it is a scam; depositing a check and sending money back is a sign of a fake check scam (read 2026-11-02 from a search result excerpt of the page))
- FTC: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ (Where to report fraud and scams in the U.S.)

## Get the free starter pack
Five beginner copy-paste AI setups, free by email: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/starter-pack/?utm_source=ai-agent&utm_medium=markdown&utm_campaign=setup-spot-a-fake-client-inquiry-with-ai

Related:
- [Qualify leads with five questions](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/qualify-leads-with-five-questions/index.md)
- [Scam text checklist before you click](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/scam-text-checklist-before-you-click/index.md)
- [Review a Freelance Contract with ChatGPT or Claude](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/review-a-freelance-contract-with-chatgpt/index.md)