A posting was just removed from website after I accepted an offer...

[comermichelle]

Yesterday, I just accepted an offer. Sometime throughout the night Upwork withdrew the job posting from the platform indicating they did not meet their requirements. The withdrawn company now has my full name, home address, phone number, signature and basic past experience information. What was the problem? Do they steal identities??? Should you not have vetted them BEFORE unleashing them on unsuspecting freelancers? This is unacceptable. I'm a little worried now about my personal information. 

[feed_my_eyes · Accepted solution]

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Michelle C wrote:

Yesterday, I just accepted an offer. Sometime throughout the night Upwork withdrew the job posting from the platform indicating they did not meet their requirements. The withdrawn company now has my full name, home address, phone number, signature and basic past experience information. What was the problem? Do they steal identities??? Should you not have vetted them BEFORE unleashing them on unsuspecting freelancers? This is unacceptable. I'm a little worried now about my personal information. 

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There's absolutely no need to ever give out personal information to a total stranger; not on Upwork nor to any other strangers who approach you on the Internet. Upwork isn't able to vet clients because thousands of jobs are posted here every week and there's no way of knowing whether a completely legitimate-looking project is going to turn into a scam, so we're expected to exercise common sense and manage our own businesses. I suggest doing some reading so that you understand exactly how this website works, as this will help you to avoid a lot of potential problems. Starting with this: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/categories/360001189033

[comermichelle]

Sounds good, Christine.  I am kicking myself for placing such blind trust in what I thought was the process.  It's really unlike me.  I will discontinue communcation with them and hope for the best.  Thanks for the link.

[feed_my_eyes]

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Michelle C wrote:

Sounds good, Christine.  I am kicking myself for placing such blind trust in what I thought was the process.  It's really unlike me.  I will discontinue communcation with them and hope for the best.  Thanks for the link.

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Well, don't kick yourself too hard - people seem to fall for this scam every day. But basically, you're on your own here; you need to be careful about who you work with and make sure that you (and your clients) follow all of the procedures that Upwork has put in place. Reading the forum is also a really good idea, since you'll learn a lot from other people's mistakes and from the advice given here. Good luck!

[petra_r]

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Michelle C wrote:

Yesterday, I just accepted an offer.

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It wasn't a real offer. It was scammers who want to send you a fake check in the hope that you'll then "buy" things from "their trusted supplier" (which is, of course, the scammer himself) before the check obviously bounces. One of the oldest, dumbest scams on the net.

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Michelle C wrote:

 I'm a little worried now about my personal information. 

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Then don't send your personal information to random strangers on the Internet.

There is never any need to send a client (real or fake) personal information.

[comermichelle]

Thanks for the help, Petra.