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Trust & Safety Guide

Updated for Community Protection

What to Do If a Tasker Asks to Be Paid Outside Myriad

At Myriad, your safety, financial security, and peace of mind are our highest priorities. Every task booked on Myriad is backed by our SafePay Dual-Signoff Guarantee.

If a Tasker asks, hints, or insists that you pay them directly—whether through cash, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, direct PayPal, wire transfer, or check—here is everything you need to know and the exact steps to take.

The Golden Rule: Never Pay Outside Myriad

Platform Policy: Soliciting, negotiating, or accepting payments outside of Myriad SafePay is a direct violation of our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy. It results in the immediate and permanent termination of the offender's account.

All payments for tasks posted or discovered on Myriad must be processed exclusively through the platform.

Why Paying Outside Myriad Puts You at Serious Risk

When you pay through Myriad SafePay, your money is protected by an escrow hold. Your payment is not released to the Tasker until after they submit photographic proof of completion and you explicitly confirm that the work is done to your satisfaction.

When you take a payment off-platform, you forfeit all protections:

  1. Zero Financial Protection: Peer-to-peer payment apps (Zelle, Venmo Friends & Family, Cash App, cash) do not offer buyer protection for services. Once you send that money, it is gone permanently.
  2. Deposit & Vanish Scams: The most common gig scam involves a worker requesting a "deposit for materials" or "travel fee" via CashApp or Zelle before arriving, and then disappearing without ever showing up.
  3. Loss of Dispute Mediation: If the Tasker performs substandard work, damages your property, or leaves the job half-finished, Myriad's arbitration team cannot mediate or refund money that was paid off-platform.
  4. Vetting & Accountability Voided: Background checks, photo verification, and identity checks only protect you when the transaction remains bound to our legal agreement.

Common Phrases Used to Solicit Off-Platform Payment

Be on the alert if a Tasker uses any of these common lines:

  • "I can give you a $20 discount if you pay me in cash instead."
  • "Myriad takes a cut of my earnings; can you just Zelle or Venmo me directly?"
  • "Can you send half the money to my CashApp now to cover gas and materials before I head over?"
  • "Let's just cancel the task in the app and handle it privately."

Regardless of how polite, convincing, or harmless the request might seem, never agree to it.

Step-by-Step: What You Should Do

1. Decline Politely and Firmly

Let the Tasker know that you are only willing to transact through Myriad. You can copy and paste this response:

"I prefer to keep all payments inside Myriad SafePay so we are both protected by platform escrow and dual-signoff guarantees. I will release the payment through the app as soon as the task is finished."

Legitimate, professional Taskers will completely understand and respect this boundary.

2. Do NOT Cancel the Task

If the Tasker asks you to cancel the task in the app, do not cancel it. Canceling the task removes platform oversight, complicates dispute resolution, and can negatively impact your account record.

3. Report the Tasker Immediately

Reporting helps our Trust & Safety team step in before other community members are targeted:

  1. Open the task page or the Tasker's profile.
  2. Click the Report button (flag icon or three dots menu).
  3. Select "Off-Platform Payment Request" from the dropdown menu.
  4. Briefly describe what happened (for example: "The tasker messaged asking for $60 cash on arrival" or "Asked for a $50 deposit via Venmo handle @example").
  5. Submit the report. Our moderation team reviews these reports with urgent priority.

4. Need a New Tasker?

If the Tasker refuses to complete the task unless paid off-platform or stops communicating, contact our support team at support@myriad.services or open a dispute from the task page. We will help unassign the Tasker, release any payment authorizations back to your card, and help you repost the task to find a reputable, verified Tasker.

What Happens to Taskers Who Violate This Rule?

Myriad enforces a strict, zero-tolerance policy against fee avoidance and platform circumvention:

  • Account Suspension: A single verified instance of soliciting off-platform payment leads to immediate, permanent account deactivation.
  • Forfeiture: Any pending platform incentives, badges, or payouts may be frozen.
  • Community Safety: The individual's identity, phone number, and email are permanently barred from registering again.

What If You Already Paid Outside Myriad?

If you already sent money off-platform:

  1. Contact your bank or payment provider (Venmo, Zelle, CashApp) immediately to report a fraudulent or unauthorized transaction.
  2. Contact support@myriad.services with screenshots of the conversation and proof of payment. While Myriad cannot reverse external bank or peer-to-peer transfers, we will immediately ban the offending user to protect the community.

Questions or Need Urgent Assistance?
Our Trust & Safety team is here to help. Contact us anytime at support@myriad.services.