Oct 18, 2022 01:37:55 PM Edited Oct 18, 2022 01:39:20 PM by Débora F
Hello,
After posting about scammers, I don't see a solution coming from Upwork. So, I try to think possible solutions, and maybe other freelancers can add their suggestions. Maybe, we can help the Technical Team to find the solution and make Upwork a better place.
Scammers have unverified payment methods.
My suggestion: Clients should verify their payment method before posting a job. If they don't verify their payment method and/or Upwork doesn't verify that the account is real, they can't sign in and post a job.
It is possible/difficult to do that?
Thank you
Oct 18, 2022 01:49:25 PM by Martina P
It should be possible for a client to browse upwork, see what it has to offer, before deciding if they want to use it and posting a job. Clients have to verify their payment before they hire.
Verifying a payment method means the credit card is tested with a very small amount. That does not guarantee that the credit card isn't stolen, for example, because the real owner will only realize when a large charge comes in that he never authorized.
Lastly, the crypto scammers have verified payments, and actually hire, and succeed in scamming people out of thousands.
Since upwork has announced that they will start verifying clients, I guess they have figured this problem out. I'm really interested how they are going to do it, we'll see.
Oct 18, 2022 02:31:12 PM by Martina P
I never perceived it as a problem. I've found perfect clients among the unverified.
Oct 18, 2022 08:08:08 PM by Martina P
Why should I have a solution for something that I don't see as a problem? That would be weird.
As I said before, I'm looking forward to upwork's solution following the announcement I mentioned.
Oct 18, 2022 11:51:18 PM by Débora F
So, why are you participating in a topic that suggests solutions for a problem? 🙄 😂
Oct 18, 2022 02:51:35 PM Edited Oct 19, 2022 05:20:05 AM by Farhana J
Some scammers offer too-low or too-high budgets though I have gut feelings who offer too high a budget for any job have no willingness to pay because those clients are unresponsive for too long time. Surely a responsible client should have the gut to determine what should be a reasonable budget for his job post based on job type or length. Low-budget job is too low that seems to offer work without paying a cent.
Oct 18, 2022 02:53:27 PM by CJ A
That's not going to help much because, these days, most of the scams being run by clients are 'chargeback' scams, where they put a verifiable payment method on file and Upwork flags them as 'verified', but after the freelancer does the work, they go to their bank and have the charge 'reversed' through the bank, literally stealing the payment back from Upwork and the freelancer. The solution, all along, has been to require clients to go through the same PHOTO ID verification that freelancers go through, because it will be much harder for scammers to just keep creating 'new' accounts everytime they get kicked off the site, and people are much less likely to break the law when you have a copy of their driver's license or passport. Right now, all a client needs to create an account is a valid email address, which anybody can get within seconds. So, scammers get kicked off the site, create a new email and new Upwork account, and rip some more people off. MOST people don't have the money, means, technology, or know-how to keep rapidly producing Photo IDs with holographic laminate to keep opening new Upwork accounts. Everybody on this platform should be going through ID verification. It's that simple. If Upwork had ID verification of these clients running these 'chargeback' schemes, they could do what any other company would do if they observe somebody committing bank/wire fraud: Make a criminal referall to law enforcement. However, you can't take 'action' or make a criminal referral if you didn't even bother to find out who the client really is.
Oct 18, 2022 03:06:40 PM by Mykola A
Client ID verification is a must. Scammer will reregister witn few clicks now.
Scammed once - never able to register again. That's is simple.
But it never will be applied as i can see.
Oct 18, 2022 03:06:58 PM by Jennifer M
I'm not 100% against them entering a CC before posting a job, but scammers have CCs. This would not stop scammers.
Oct 18, 2022 08:16:35 PM by Jeanne H
As I have said many times before, verified payment means absolutely nothing. Scammers have verified payment all the time, and they still scam.
I have had excellent clients that were not verified. In addition, Upwork's policy is to not put forth any barriers to the client. If they don't verify an email, they are certainly not going to require verified payment.
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