Fiverr Suspends Hundreds of Accounts in Betopia Manipulation Case, Rattling Bangladesh's Freelancing Sector

What happened

A Bangladeshi tech company, Betopia Group, has come under scrutiny over alleged coordinated manipulation of Fiverr, the international freelancing marketplace, according to an investigative report by Rahitul Islam published in Prothom Alo on 24 September 2026. The report says that after multiple complaints from leading Bangladeshi freelancers, Fiverr suspended around 300 accounts linked to Betopia at the end of July, with several thousand more accounts tied to the organisation reportedly placed under monitoring and investigation.

The core allegations

Per Prothom Alo, Betopia is accused of opening Fiverr accounts using the national ID card and passport information of thousands of workers under the guise of hiring them, then operating those accounts under company control. The report alleges the firm used fake orders and reviews to influence marketplace rankings, and placed orders on competitors' gigs only to cancel them or request refunds in order to damage rivals' standings. Sources cited by the outlet claimed that work worth around US$1.5 million completed through Betopia-linked accounts had been cancelled.

What Fiverr said officially

On 4 August 2026, a notice titled 'Ensuring fairness and integrity: an update on coordinated account manipulation' was posted on Fiverr's Bangladesh community forum. In it, a Fiverr community coordinator wrote that the company had 'received reports of agencies conducting coordinated account manipulation on the Fiverr marketplace: creating and controlling freelancer accounts on behalf of others and generating fake reviews and orders to manipulate marketplace reputation.' Fiverr said that after an initial investigation it had identified accounts and orders connected to these operations, that all accounts found in violation were being warned and demoted on the marketplace, and that it was conducting a 'full-scale update' to its governance mechanisms. Notably, the public notice did not name Betopia or cite a specific number of accounts.

The policies at the heart of the case

Prothom Alo notes that several Fiverr rules are directly relevant. Fiverr generally permits one account per user for buying and selling, and treats creating multiple accounts to influence the marketplace as a serious violation that can lead to permanent suspension. The report highlights the 'fake identity' rule as most important here: an account cannot be opened in another person's name using their identity, and even if it is opened under one person's identity, control resting with a different person or organisation would conflict with Fiverr's policy.

How the dispute became public

According to the report, the issue surfaced after freelancer MN Nahid alleged on Facebook that an order placed on his gig from a Betopia-linked account was later cancelled, presenting a Figma file as evidence pointing to a Betopia employee. Betopia denied the matter and filed a general diary against Nahid at a police station, the report says, which sparked strong reaction among freelancers. The controversy intensified after a former Betopia employee's statement circulated on social media, claiming fake orders were used to harm competitors and boost the company's own gigs.

Betopia's response

The report says the company, formerly known as BD Calling IT and founded in 2017, operates as Betopia Group with offices in Dhaka and, per its website, 22 companies under it. Betopia denied the allegations. On 18 August, CEO Muhammad Monir Hossain told the Prothom Alo reporter that a person who had been providing information 'has been fired,' and added: 'Actually, I am trying to get out of this business. Many of my IDs on Fiverr are now affected. I will get out of this. I will do other businesses. This freelancing work is troublesome.' Prothom Alo also reported separate, unrelated allegations spreading on social media about workplace treatment, which the company has not substantively addressed in the report.

Why the wider sector is worried

Thousands of young people in Bangladesh legally earn foreign income on marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork under their own identities. The report says the action against Betopia has raised fears that genuine freelancers now face additional scrutiny, identity verification, review checks and account restrictions, making their working environment harder. Faisal Alim, secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of Contact Center and Outsourcing (BACCO), told Prothom Alo that any attempt to hinder freelancers is 'highly condemnable' and demanded swift, strict legal action against those harming the sector. Industry figures cited in the report warned that a career built over years and thousands of positive reviews can be damaged by a few deliberate cancellations, and that the episode risks harming the overall image of Bangladeshi freelancers and, potentially, national remittance earnings.

The bottom line

As reported by Prothom Alo, this is an active investigation: Fiverr has confirmed action against coordinated manipulation in general terms, roughly 300 Betopia-linked accounts have been suspended, and thousands more remain under review, while Betopia denies wrongdoing and its CEO says he intends to exit the business. The allegations against the company have not been adjudicated in court. We are reporting the outlet's findings and attributed claims; readers should treat the specific allegations as allegations pending further investigation.

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Sources

• Fiverr accounts manipulation by Betopia puts country's freelancing sector in crisis (Rahitul Islam, Prothom Alo, 24 Sep 2026)

Published date reflects the original event date (2026-09-24). This article is original Skillo editorial written from the sources above; facts were verified in September 2026.