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danielle_jupiter
Community Member

Admin Assistant Scam

 I recently recieved notice to accept a proposal for an Admin Assistant gig but the description was very vague. I was then contacted by a man name**Edited for community guidelines**an architect that works for Handy Architect through UpWork to discuss more about the position via text. I gave my phone number and tried to do a number looking for where it was coming from which was Nebraska. We did the whole run down and I even signed a contract (not my real signature). I did my first task wasn't hard just creating a spreadsheet for price comparisons of architect tools. He didn't speak perfect English when he texted either. Anyways, he asked how much debt I had on a credit card and I stated how much I had and he offered to pay off the balance and gave me a account number and checking number. I figured that was sketchy hence why I am posting here. What do you guys think?

41 REPLIES 41
a_lipsey
Community Member

Accepting payment outside of Upwork is against the TOS. Do you have  an actual contract with this person on Upwork?  Lots o f TOS violations here, you need to read up on what you signed up for. 

 

ETA: having two profiles is also against TOS. 

JoanneP
Moderator
Moderator

Hi Danielle,

 

Could you please send me a PM with more information about this so I can check with the team? You can also report to us if you see a job or invitation that looks suspicious or inappropriate using the flagging option found on every job post or Upwork profile. This sends a notification directly to Upwork, allowing us to investigate and take the appropriate actions. You can read more on this help article and also, please check out Tips to avoid questionable jobs. Thank you!

~ Joanne
Upwork
jdbyrd3
Community Member

I have also recently received a job offer from Handy Architects that seems sketchy. they sent an assessment link through upwork, but shortly after that the job posting was removed. a few days later I received a text saying that I was being offered a contract and to text him my name and address. I have looked at their website which looks pretty legit, but one of the photos of the leadership is of Ryan Gosling… super red flag.

re: "I have looked at their website which looks pretty legit"

 

You don't ever need to look at a company website and decide if it looks "legit."

I have never done that.

I have never looked at a client's website, or a company's website before getting hired.

 

My decisions are based on how the client behaves on Upwork, and on their Upwork history.

 

Most of the time looking at a company's website is part of the scam:

The scammer WANTS you to Google them and WANTS you to look at the website that you find.

 

Most scammers find impressive websites online and then claim to represent those companies.

 

(Anyway... many of the most lucrative jobs I have had on Upwork have been with clients and companies that have no website. So evaluating clients based on looking at a website really makes no sense to me.)


Jameka A wrote:
I have also recently received a job offer from Handy Architects that seems sketchy. they sent an assessment link through upwork, but shortly after that the job posting was removed. a few days later I received a text saying that I was being offered a contract and to text him my name and address. I have looked at their website which looks pretty legit, but one of the photos of the leadership is of Ryan Gosling… super red flag.

Contrary to what Preston posted: vetting clients like this is a very good idea, and it's something I do with every new client I work with. You can't always be certain that what you're seeing is real, but, as you found, you can often see enough (or not see enough of what you're expecting to see) to raise a flag.

 

One note: Upwork's rules prohibit communicating outside the messenger or the integrated Zoom before you have a contract, so be careful with that part.

yes. after he requested my name and address I told him I was uncomfortable with that and instead sent him a link to my profile and asked him to send me an invitation there. I haven’t heard anything since. 🤷🏾‍:female_sign:
b9f95ff1
Community Member

I received a message last night from someone for this position too. He asked me for my number and told me he was looking for a VA to help with a construction company Handy Architect. I responded this morning and said I’d be happy to help but the job posting was closed. He hasn’t responded yet.

re: "I received a message last night from someone for this position too. He asked me for my number and told me he was looking for a VA to help with a construction company Handy Architect. I responded this morning and said I’d be happy to help but the job posting was closed. He hasn’t responded yet."

 

He is not going to respond.

Someone else reported this scammer and his job posting was taken down.

 

He will need to create a new fake client account in order to resume his scam work.

That's because he's trying to scam me as we speak lol. He thinks I'm working on this project but I have a friend who's an architect and told me this seemed sketchy and when we dug deeper we found out its super sketchy.

I also got a job offer from handy architect. If I hadn't seen the website and recognized not one but two famous actors in their employee page I might not have realized this was a scam. Will only ever do business within upwork platform. Luckily I noticed pretty quick and this was my first upwork job experience so glad I learned this early on. Hoping upwork can remove this scammer so he can't do this to someone else, the next person may not be so lucky to notice before something bad happens.

how are we really supposed to know what job posts look suspicious?  or questionable.  Its a job post. 


Brant H wrote:

how are we really supposed to know what job posts look suspicious?  or questionable.  Its a job post. 


Understand the terms of service and don't violate them. That will protect you from 99% of the scammers.

 

The very second you start to communicate with a prospective client outside the platform, you are in violation of the terms of service you agreed to and at risk of being scammed (as well as having your account suspended).


Furthermore, use a modicum of common sense. 

In general, most of those scams are incredibly obvious, deliberately so. Scammers don't want to waste their time on all but the most gullible potential victims because only those will ultimately allow themselves to be scammed.

 

If something sounds too good to be true, or ridiculous (such as being sent checks or sending crypto or buying gift cards etc), it's obviously a scam.

Hi Brant,

 

You can read more on this help article and also, please check out Tips to avoid questionable jobs. You might also want to check out the information here to learn more about staying safe on Upwork. 

~ Joanne
Upwork

Brant H. wrote:

"how are we really supposed to know what job posts look suspicious?  or questionable.  Its a job post. "

--------

A few tips: 

1) They have no hiring history

2) They say they want entry level but offer high pay, like $40 an hour or $1100 a week

3) They say they're "launching" a new product or service (magazine, branch office, etc.)

4) Their posting is riddled with grammar errors and incorrect capitalization

5) They contact you and ask you to interview with their "hiring manager" on Google Hangouts.

 

Good luck to you.

prestonhunter
Community Member

Danielle: those people are not real clients. They are scammers who are trying to steal your money.

loannvo
Community Member

Hi I am in contact with the very same exact person. So glad I found this. Reporting him now.
wrolon
Community Member

hey i think the same person just reached out to me, im curious in your experience with him

BojanS
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Willanie,

 

Taking communications with a client off of Upwork before a contract is in place is against our Terms of Service. If you see a violation of the Upwork Terms of Service, we encourage you to use the Report Suspicious User Activity feature. 

 

Please check this help article for crucial information that will help you have a safe and successful journey on Upwork.

 

Thank you! 

~ Bojan
Upwork
loannvo
Community Member

He said he his company was a construction company called **Edited for Community Guidelines**.
He would say that he would pay me directly instead of through upwork. Even
wrote up a “contract” to have me sign it. Offered to try it out for a month
and if we work well together he would hire me long term.



tesorrell
Community Member

The same thing happened to me. I signed the contract and was working on the first project. But did not give him any bank information or my actual permanent address. What should I do from here? Feel like a complete idiot for thinking that this was legit.

You should report the job as fraud, and cease all contact with the client. Only contracts through up work are legitimate and also it is helpful to make sure they are payment verified before accepting or submitting a proposal.

Hi Taylor,

 

I can see that you already have an open ticket regarding this issue. One of our agents will update your ticket and assist you further. 

 

Also, if you see a job or a profile that seems suspicious, you can report it to us using the flagging option. You can read more on this help article and also, please check out Tips to avoid questionable jobs. You might also want to check out the information here to learn more about staying safe on Upwork. 

~ Joanne
Upwork
08867f56
Community Member

I'm talking to him now, except the phone number is from California. He is way too interested in my financials to be a legitimate employer. Also, like you said, his grammar is not great, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's running a scam. He did however ask to pay me directly, off of Upwork which is a sure sign that this is going to go downhill very quickly. I'm not sure what the scam is at this point. I'm going to play along and will keep you updated. 

Seems like that's the only job opportunities I get. Scams, all of them so
far.

Same

@Melanie, don't play along. You are violating TOS by communicating with the client by phone when you don't already have an Upwork contract with them. That's part of how the scam works. They bet that you don't know or won't follow the rules and take the conversation off of Upwork. The TOS stipulate that until you have an Upwork contract in place, you will keep all communications on Upwork and not share contact info.

Report the client and move on. And stay on Upwork messaging until you have a contract. You could risk suspension if you don't.
jared_k
Community Member

I understand the desperation by some people to find work, but violating the TOS by communciating with these people hurts all of us. Many of us who've been on here for a while have lost legit jobs because we've told potential clients, "Yeah, let's talk but it's against Upwork's TOS to do so by phone until we have a contract. Would you like to use Upwork's messenger service?" 

 

This rule is really for you people who fall for this scam, not us, but you're the ones that violate it and in the end we all suffer: you guys for falling for the scam and us for not being able to talk by phone, Skype, or another way with potential clients. I think it would help to put any freelancer who admits to communicating with the scammers in "time out" for a bit. Perhaps they should have to pass a quiz on the TOS or something before being allowed back.


Jared K wrote:

Perhaps they should have to pass a quiz on the TOS or something before being allowed back.


This has been suggested time and time again, but to no avail. 

The 'Upwork readiness test' is clearly not fit for purpose - as evidenced by so many people using Upwork not yet being ready. 



Jared K wrote:

This rule is really for you people who fall for this scam, not us, but you're the ones that violate it and in the end we all suffer: you guys for falling for the scam and us for not being able to talk by phone, Skype, or another way with potential clients. 


Yes, it's obvious that the people who are most likely to fall for this dumb scam are the exact same people who jump in and start bidding without reading or understanding anything about Upwork; therefore, there's absolutely no point in having a no-contact rule. 

 

Just this past Monday, a client told me point-blank that they would take me out of consideration for a project if I didn't supply my email address. I reported this, but their project is still up and they're interviewing four other freelancers. The client is definitely not a scammer - they've hired 94 freelancers in the past, all of whom presumably supplied their email addresses. It feels like I'm being punished for following the rules, while people who are breaking the rules are being rewarded with more job opportunities.

 

If Upwork isn't going to require new freelancers to pass a readiness test, why not at least have a warning in the email notifications and at the top of each message board that you have to keep communication on Upwork until after you're hired? 

Chrisitine said:

 

Just this past Monday, a client told me point-blank that they would take me out of consideration for a project if I didn't supply my email address. I reported this, but their project is still up and they're interviewing four other freelancers. The client is definitely not a scammer - they've hired 94 freelancers in the past, all of whom presumably supplied their email addresses. It feels like I'm being punished for following the rules, while people who are breaking the rules are being rewarded with more job opportunities.

 

I wouldn't be happy about working for someone who wilfully breaks rules and urges freelancers to do the same, thus getting them to run the risk of being banned. The rules may not make much sense, but there's something not right about someone who insists on offsite communication pre-contract when the site messaging system is perfectly adequate. 


Robert Y wrote:

 

I wouldn't be happy about working for someone who wilfully breaks rules and urges freelancers to do the same, thus getting them to run the risk of being banned. The rules may not make much sense, but there's something not right about someone who insists on offsite communication pre-contract when the site messaging system is perfectly adequate. 


I don't think that they really believed me when I said it was against the rules; every other freelancer that they've worked with so far was willing to hand over their contact information. I'm sure they just thought that I was being uncooperative.

08867f56
Community Member

This whole website is a joke imo. 


Melanie W wrote:

I'm talking to him now, except the phone number is from California. He is way too interested in my financials to be a legitimate employer. Also, like you said, his grammar is not great, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's running a scam. He did however ask to pay me directly, off of Upwork which is a sure sign that this is going to go downhill very quickly. I'm not sure what the scam is at this point. I'm going to play along and will keep you updated. 


You are not talking to "him". This is not a single person. It might be a group. It might be unaffiliated people in multiple countries. 

The scam will be a fake check, or stealing your identity. 

 

It was a scam. 

steve-d
Community Member

Oh yeah 100% scam. Why would he need to know anything about your credit card debt? Flag and report this guy. 

d6282f87
Community Member

I received this same scam today. He also asked if I had credit card debt and wanted bank info where he could pay me directly. This isn’t my first rodeo with these scum. Be careful. If they never want to talk on the phone when hiring you, it’s super sketch!

 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

3a71d8bc
Community Member

Hello

i just joined Upwork and received a message from a  **Edited for Community Guidelines** who provided me with a viber QR code and when I scanned it , turns out to be a MCJ Architect company. and now he says its Handy Architect.  Not sure what to believe

Stop what you are doing until you know the rules. You are at risk of losing money and could lose your Upwork account. Viber is not a part of Upwork. The Terms of Service, which you must read, do not allow you to go outside of Upwork before a contract is in place. From what you have said, this is a scam.

 

Do not speak with or have any doings with someone until the contract is in place. You need to learn about the fixed price and hourly tracked jobs, and how to protect yourself. Send the information to Support. You can use the green button in the bottom right-hand corner and ask to speak to an agent.

 

Before you apply to even one job, you must learn the rules and how to spot scams. Because you are new, you will be targeted for scams. Knowledge is power; don't let it happen to you. complete your profile and add some portfolio work. If you don't have any, create something new you want to showcase your talents.  Memorize this excellent advice from Wes. 

 

There are many scammers just waiting for victims. You have to protect yourself because no one, including Upwork, will do it for you.

df91c6f2
Community Member

I also received a text message from **Edited for Community Guidelines** to do a Q&A interview by text.  I told him I wasn't interested in working for someone I couldn't talk to over the phone.  He said he would talk to me, but it was obviously sketchy so I blocked the number.  I also withdrew my proposal and commented that it was a scam.

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