Help Im new.. is this suspicious?

[bcdbf3db]

Hello I am new to UpWork and just hired my first freelancer.. 10minutes upon hiring he asked for a $500 upfront payment.. Is this normal practice? 

[rverang]

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@Jeremy S wrote:

Hello I am new to UpWork and just hired my first freelancer.. 10minutes upon hiring he asked for a $500 upfront payment.. Is this normal practice? 

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This would make more sense if the freelancer broached this idea prior to being hired.

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Jeremy,

Our team will reach out to you shortly to investigate this further and advise you accordingly. We are always advising not to release any funds before reviewing their work, if you have any additional questions let me know. Thank you.

[prestonhunter]

re: "Hello I am new to UpWork and just hired my first freelancer.. 10minutes upon hiring he asked for a $500 upfront payment.. Is this normal practice? "

No. It is not normal.

There is no reason to make up-front payments to a freelancer on Upwork.

Probably: The freelancer who asked you for an up-front payment is not a real freelancer. He is a scammer. He intends to take the $500, withdraw it to his bank account, and then string you along with excuses abot why it is taking so long to get started on the project, and then disappear without ever doing any actual work for you. And there will be no way for you to get your money back.