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33940378
Community Member

Identity theft and hiring, beware - tips on how to avoid

This pertains to technical hires.

 

There are a number of really fantastic technical contractors on UpWork, unfortunately, I'm encountering quite a few that are running scams. It used to take me a long time to figure out who was legit and who was not. Now it usually takes me 5 to 10 minutes because most people give themselves away quickly.

 

Here is what they appear to do:

 

1) The grab someone's LinkedIn image and profile information and create a fake account on UpWork (so same name, image, background). Usually, the LinkedIn profile has a strong and varied tech background so they appear legit and they also fit many types of positions (app dev, web dev, Dev Ops, etc.)
2) They apply for a job using the fake profile - sometimes tangentially related to the work. For example, if we are looking for a DevOps person they will apply with a general developer fake profile.
3) They may even have some paid positions. I'm pretty sure those are fake employer accounts.

So, before you realize you are being scammed, you think, "wow, this person is awesome, can't wait to talk to them"

Here are key tips that should raise flags immediately during initial contact:

1) They ask to see your private repo/code. I'm not sure who would fall for that, but it's a clue that they are not legit. If anyone's asking to get access to any proprietary information, simply move on. 

 

2) During text chatting, ask open-ended questions.  Like what are the pros and cons of Kubernetes (or pick your favorite technical need). They will not be able to respond or they will take your request, Google it, and paste answer. It's easy to spot this - just google their result and you will see if copied verbatim.

 

3) Follow UpWork best practices - make all your communication via UpWork. If they ask to move chats to WeChat or mobile text or something else it's a scam. You can do all your communication on UpWork - do it - it's for your own safety. If they won't communicate on UpWork you are probably being scammed. Don't buy the "I'm having connectivity problems, video/audio chat on UpWork doesn't work for me. blah, blah, blah" . [EDIT: I've seen a number of comments from people that say that they have had trouble with UpWork's quality of video/audio chats - if that's true for you, do insist on a video call - see below. The downside of using outside communication is not having a digital paper trail. My suggestion would be to record the video chat but make sure you inform the applicant and get their permission.]


4) Insist on a video chat for your interviews after the initial screening. If they are scamming you, they cannot do that because their face won't match their profile. 

I hope that helps.

 

 

 

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Thanks for sharing your observations and tips, Greg!

Upwork team also has implemented some initiatives to identify freelancers that misrepresent their identity. One of them is the ID Verification Badge that shows on the profile once the freelancer confirms their identity by uploading their ID and completing a video verification call. Has the badge been helpful to you when hiring? Also, if you come across profiles like you describe in your post, we'd appreciate if you flag them as inappropriate so the team can also review.

~ Valeria
Upwork

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12 REPLIES 12
kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Thanks for sharing your observations and tips, Greg!

Upwork team also has implemented some initiatives to identify freelancers that misrepresent their identity. One of them is the ID Verification Badge that shows on the profile once the freelancer confirms their identity by uploading their ID and completing a video verification call. Has the badge been helpful to you when hiring? Also, if you come across profiles like you describe in your post, we'd appreciate if you flag them as inappropriate so the team can also review.

~ Valeria
Upwork

Hi Valerie,

 

Thanks for the ID verification tip! I will use that as a first-level filter.

Glad to see that UpWork is trying to address the issue (clearly I'm not the first to have issues). ID verification will certainly help in most cases but I think maybe your scammers are getting more clever (like all security measures, there are counter-measures for the willing and able.)

The last person who seemed illegitimate did pass the security ID check but couldn't answer the basic questions without Googling. I ended the conversation at that point. Sometimes it's fraud and sometimes it's just a person out of their depth but the goal is the same - quickly move to interview the excellent UpWorkers that match your needs. 

re: "The last person who seemed illegitimate did pass the security ID check but couldn't answer the basic questions without Googling."

 

He very well could have been completely honest about his identity and name and address and photo... That doesn't mean he actually posseses the skills he claims to possess.

 

Clearly you are screening for BOTH types of "misinformation."

 

I think your original post here is great. I am glad it is in the clients section.

tta192
Community Member


Greg K wrote:

[...]

1) They ask to see your private repo/code. I'm not sure who would fall for that, but it's a clue that they are not legit. If anyone's asking to get access to any proprietary information, simply move on. 

[...]

 


A person asking to see the code most probably just wants to determine if they really are able to solve your problem or not. Scammers are after your money, not your code. Using the code in any way requires real actual work, which such persons are not keen on doing. On the contrary, they will often ask for advance payments then go silent.

 

 

 

 

33940378
Community Member

I get what you're saying but there are, IMO, better ways to determine fit. When bringing a new team member, it's really about trust, value, and teamwork. It could also create a potential liability to have them have access to the IP.

I hope you found the other tips helpful. 

petra_r
Community Member


Greg K wrote:

 

3) Follow UpWork best practices - make all your communication via UpWork. If they ask to move chats to WeChat or mobile text or something else it's a scam. You can do all your communication on UpWork - do it - it's for your own safety. If they won't communicate on UpWork you are probably being scammed. Don't buy the "I'm having connectivity problems, video/audio chat on UpWork doesn't work for me. blah, blah, blah" 


Communicating outside of Upwork is not a sign of a scam, Upwork messages are slow to load and traditionally (although this has very much improved these days) went down frequently. Also notifications for messages can be very much hit and miss.

 

Although there are some people who report that the Upwork voice / video call function worked fine for them, I have to say that after trying 4 times on 3 different devices over the years without ever ONCE being able to connect, I no longer try to use that function.

 

Also not everyone is happy to do video calls. I am perfectly happy to do voice calls (skype / phone etc) but nope, I'm not doing video calls with prospective clients. Ever.

33940378
Community Member

Hmmm. I've never had a problem using video/audio chat on UpWork but it sounds like my experience is not your experience. I agree clear video/audio communication is more important than using UpWork. (Sounds like UpWork has some work to do).

 

A video call - Zoom, Hangout, Skype -  does serve the same purpose. What I found with scammers is that they would agree to a video call on another service but then (even on different services) claim poor connections and revert to text. So, if the person can be validated on another service, that makes sense. The concern I have is that it's going to be hard to report to UpWork poor behavior if they cannot track it. So by keeping communication with UpWork, you have a digital paper trail. 

re: "What I found with scammers is that they would agree to a video call on another service but then (even on different services) claim poor connections and revert to text."

 

Perhaps one or two percent of these freelancers are telling the truth about their poor connections. If my math is correct then that means:

 

98% of these freelancers are using fake identities

2% of these freelancers should not be hired because their internet connection is not sufficiently reliable to work on my project

Thanks for all the feedback! I've updated my answer based on multiple responses. So, using an alternative video chat is OK (Google, Zoom, Skype) but make sure you get permission from the application and record the session.

 
TLDR
A video call will also have the benefit of seeing if they have the capability to do regular video calls. We rely on video chat heavily in our day-to-day communication so having a consultant with good bandwidth capabilities is a must-have. Personally, I find video chats more informative as well. It tells me if the applicant is struggling with a question and I can often time clarify my question. Some people are quietly thinking and that is easy to see on video chats but hard on audio.

42e76513
Community Member

Thanks Greg! I'm fairly new to UpWork and your information has helped me tremendously, as I have been seeing this, pretty much 2-3 times a week lately in UpWork.   I was concern and wondering what is going on, "Is not UpWork screening these contractors or what"?  I have better understanding and now know that they are scams. I understand the terms of Upwork and I always ask them to set up a call or do Zoom interview on UpWork and, of course, they do not respond back to me and Upwork removes them. I appreciate your candid response.

56718118
Community Member

I came to Upwork for highly qualified  opportunities that I was a shoe in that really had no other technical skill than typing to increase my confidence at working after the pandemic and finishing my degree in Cybersecurity from UOPX. What I found instead were scammers who had asked and prepared the way for what I believe was a scam. They asked open ended questions to gain my confidence and then swayed me to answer more personal related questions all off of Telegram. My resume is now in circulation and I am nervous about my identity being stolen. Is this a possibility? Could I've been a victim of identity theft? How do I fix my reputation?

 

Liz

re: "Is this a possibility? Could I've been a victim of identity theft? How do I fix my reputation?"

 

Maybe. But unlikely.

 

But my advice to you:

Forget about this.

 

A) These Telegram scammers really want to steal your MONEY. They're not after your identity.

B) Nothing you can do about it now.

C) There was nothing you told those people that doesn't fit thousands of other people. You and your resume are not unique.

D) Your resume is supposed to be your Upwork profile, which is public and available to clients anyway. I don't have a "resume" separate from my Upwork profile. My Upwork profile is public. My resume is public. Anybody in the world can look at it.

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