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3c6050d1
Community Member

Can there be a goo explanation for automated mouse and keyboard used by freelancer?

Hired a new developer for my site. His qualifications are good and reviews too, but I feel like I am being cheated of his work. I saw two screenshots captures display the use of a program called " Automated mouse and keyboard". I looked it up and it could possibly being used to show he is working when he is not.

 

So far he has worked 24 hours on my project and I wonder if that work is fake - or at least some of it is fake.

 

I will ask him but wanted to know if there are any reasonable explataions to this before reporting him.

5 REPLIES 5
prestonhunter
Community Member

Barbara:

Automated mouse and keyboard software has both legitimate and illigitimate uses.

 

Such software can be used to automate processs that were not necesssarily designed to be automated. So the software can be used as a time-saving device, like running a "macro". Or running a cron-based command that includes steps which require GUI-based interaction alongside steps which can be triggered using the line command.

 

Certain types of data scraping tasks would require the use of software of this type.

 

We do not know if these types of legitimate uses of such software relate to the work that you are having this client do.

 

Such software can also be used to simulate mouse and keyboard activity purely for the purpose of fraudulently recording time.

 

As a client, there are different approaches that you can take. Asking the freelancer about this is one option. It is not required that you do so.

 

You are welcome to simply close the contract and not ask any questions. You don't need to offer any explanations.

 

You are welcome to ask him about automation program, and ask how that fits into the work he is doing.

 

You are welcome to simply compare his work to the other work done by members of your team. If he has accomplished so much for you in 24 hours that you feel like he is the best find out of all the people on your team, and you personally feel a little embarrassed about how little you have paid him relative to the value he has brought to your project... Then you might not want to "kill the golden goose." Maybe you don't understand his process fully, but you are benefiting from it, so maybe leave it alone.

 

On the other hand, if you compare his work to the work done by others on your eam, and he seems to be relatively slow in producing new features and getting them to work, and the other people all seem to be delivering more results faster... Then maybe it just doesn't matter whether he is cheating or not. Maybe it is time to close the contract on him purely for the sake of efficiency.

Yeah. Just confronted freelancer and gave him a chance to explain himself. First asked if he knew it was prohibited use, he said yes. I asked then why he was using. He said he was not using it. That tells me he is up to no good. This is sad!

Hi Barbara,

 

Just to confirm our team has already reached out to you via ticket to assist you further. You can access your tickets on this Link. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork
florydev
Community Member


Barbara F wrote:

Hired a new developer for my site. His qualifications are good and reviews too, but I feel like I am being cheated of his work. I saw two screenshots captures display the use of a program called " Automated mouse and keyboard". I looked it up and it could possibly being used to show he is working when he is not.

 

So far he has worked 24 hours on my project and I wonder if that work is fake - or at least some of it is fake.

 

I will ask him but wanted to know if there are any reasonable explataions to this before reporting him.


First, I would consider what access the developer has to my systems and code and I would remove them from that or change passwords.  I would then pause the contract.

 

I would save off the screenshot and ask them what this in in the Upwork chat and see what their response is.  I would tell them you have paused the contract until they respond.  

 

If they don't respond in a reasonable timeframe and with something plausable, and if I don't think there reason is plausable, I would report them to Upwork support.  I have never, closed, requested a refund for a project so someone else can tell you what to do there.

 

g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Hi Barbara,

 

One of our team members will reach out to you via ticket where you can share more details with us. Our team will investigate this and assist you further directly on your ticket. If you have any additional questions let me know, thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork
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