Important Reminder: Policy on Sharing Contact Information

[#1]

Hi there! I'm from Upwork's Customer Experience and Trust product team. Ensuring that Upwork remains a safe and trustworthy environment is at the core of what we do. In line with this commitment, I'd like to remind everyone about our critical policies regarding contact information sharing and payment processes. By adhering to these guidelines, we not only safeguard every transaction but also uphold the integrity of our platform.

No Exchange of Personal Contact Information Before Establishing a Contract 

To help maintain security and privacy of your Upwork account, personal contact information exchange (phone numbers, email addresses, social media) is prohibited until a formal contract is established. This prevents scams, protects privacy, and ensures transparent negotiations under Upwork’s oversight.

Off-Platform Payments are Strictly Prohibited

All financial transactions must go through Upwork’s official payment systems. This ensures timely support, dispute resolution, and community-wide protection. Off-platform payments violate terms, increasing fraud risk.

Consequences of Policy Violations

Any policy violation may result in disciplinary actions, including loss of talent badges, temporary restrictions, or permanent loss of account access. This includes attempts to share contact information through various platform features such as project descriptions, profiles, messages, attachments, or other means.

Be sure to review our contact information sharing policy and help us keep Upwork safe by reporting any attempts to send payments outside Upwork. 

Need More Information?

For further clarification on our policies, visit the links below, which provide detailed information and resources for navigating our platform safely and effectively.

• The new starter's guide to being safe and successful on Upwork
• Keeping your contact information safe
• Get to know each other before a contract

We're dedicated to fostering a secure platform where freelancers and clients can connect, collaborate, and thrive. Thank you for your cooperation and being an integral part of our community.

Thank you for your help in keeping Upwork safe, 

Upwork Trust & Safety 

[#2]

Greetings.

I'm new here and was just trying to understand how business is conducted here.

To be honest, I'm very impressed with how things are done, particularly the security aspect. I will sure endeavour to follow the guidelines provided herein 

[#3]

Tank you

[#4]

Hi, I'm a freelancer, so you mean after formal contract is established, we can have a chat with client through other real time communication tool like discord, telegram or slack , right?

[#5]

I completely agree with this policy. However, recently, after being hired as a social media manager, I requested access for a client and then received a policy violation notification. I don't understand why this happened.

[#6]

Community members 

[#7]

Hello Upworks,

I have been communicating with a prospect about undertaken his company tax work here in Australia. The communications have advanced to a level that we need to provide them legally required information under the Tax Agents Service Act, Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board and the Australian Tax Office before they engage us. 

I had provided these mandatory documents in a message on Upworks, but the message was blocked because it had information and email addresses in them. 

Your policies are at odds with required disclosure under Australian laws for the provision of tax services. The client can't enter into a contract until these documents are provided. 

How do I provide legally required documents to a prospect on Upworks without breaking your policy of not disclosing information about us?

[#8]

Will it still be blocked if you send them as attachments?

Right now, dealing with the increasing number of circumvention attempts is much more important for them, over resolving your and similar problems. I'd say you think what's best for you, rather than relying on Upwork.

I'm not sure what advice the staff would give you if you managed to contact them (and assuming your client hasn't disappeared out of boredom), but I'll just find a way to work around the bot, now.

They mentioned in their docs that there ARE exceptions for the no-contact-before-contract rule (which your situation should fit) anyway.

[#9]

Yes - I sent the documents as attachments in Upworks. Upworks seems to put its policies above that of local laws and regulations. It is very frustrating.  

[#10]

you are have to done or not yet?

[#11]

If you are a cleaver man, please don't trust upwork policy.

[#12]

Thanks for information 

[#13]

Useful information 

[#14]

Bharti M, thank you for this important reminder. It is important for all of us to follow these policies to maintain the security and integrity of the Upwork platform. By ensuring that personal contact information is only exchanged after a formal agreement is in place and all payments are processed through Upwork, we can protect ourselves from potential scams and ensure a safe working environment. can make I encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with these guidelines and report any suspicious activity. Together we can keep Upwork a reliable and trusted platform for all users.

[#15]

Thank you for the reminder. I have a few questions for clarification:

1. What should I do if a potential client or freelancer insists on sharing contact information before a contract is established? Are there exceptions?

2. How should I handle and report a client requesting off-platform payment? What if off-platform payments were made in the past?

3. How are policy violations detected and what actions lead to temporary restrictions or permanent account loss?

[#16]

1

[#17]

Hi,

I'm Nabeel. I haven't been on Upwork for long, and this topic is very informative, especially for newcomers who are not familiar with Upwork's Terms of Service.

Stay blessed and keep sharing this kind of information.

[#18]

Am a Upwork new freelancer 

Can you please tell me more about Upwork 

[#19]

Thank you so much for your important guidelines.

[#20]

Gow to detect if it real client or some AI humanoid robotics peace to whom you deal with... they posted contract, hired you and when work completed they switched everything.... Do we really need to stick on Money that we've agreed upon OR should go deep into and bother about everything else you specified above for contract and requiements??

[#21]

Hello! How about a job post that requires to send an introduction voice and video recording? Is that allowed? Im a new freelancer here at Upwork. And out of my 17 proposals only one client respond and inform about their decision. 

[#22]

Hello Jenny,

You can add or upload a video or voice recording on your proposal. To clarify, there are two cases when you may share your personal contact information before a contract begins:

• If you must share or collect information that may include contact information — such as non-disclosure agreements, business licenses, etc — for legal purposes.
• If you need to provide your email address to gain access to a system for the purposes of scoping a project.

In these cases, contact information may be shared, but all communication must still take place on Upwork. 

Additionally, I highly recommend checking this help article and available learning paths in the  Academy section to help you stay safe on Upwork.

[#23]

Good advice. The Academy helps in detecting spams.

[#24]

Hi Avy, 

Thank you for your response. I have another question. In response to my proposal, the client asked that I apply via the link they gave. Is that okay and allowed by Upwork? 

Thank you!

[#25]

Thank you for getting back to us, Jenny.

Please note that a link to an applicant management system or means to submit a proposal or application outside of Upwork is not allowed and is considered a violation of Upwork's TOS. 

I would also like to let you know that you can use the ‘Flag as Inappropriate’ option throughout the site to report any suspicious activity at any time.

[#26]

**"Hi there! Thank you for the important reminder. As a freelancer, I truly value the safety and integrity of Upwork's platform. Ensuring that all communication and payments remain within the platform not only protects both clients and freelancers but also helps maintain a professional and trustworthy environment for everyone.I fully support Upwork's policies and will continue to adhere to them. If there's anything more we can do to help maintain and promote a secure community, please don't hesitate to let us know.Thanks again for your dedication to keeping Upwork a safe and successful place to work!"**