Beware of Scammers

[1551865a]

Hello, folks.

I applied to this gig **Edited for Community Guidelines** and they messaged me with a PDF containing a Telegram user I was supposed to contact. I took the bait, they asked me for a CV and when I sent it, they immediately said I was now part of their team and had me choose a "Job Plan". The "company" is named **Edited for Community Guidelines**and a quick google search reveals their shady website. Also revealing an address in Canada, instead of Spain as displayed on the Job Posting. One more Google search on the Canada address reveals countless User Reviews reporting they've all been scammed by these culpirits.

I tried flagging the Job as inappropriate, however, it got removed from the platform, now I'm unable to do it. I thought I had to report it so newcomers (such as me) don't get fooled into those schemes. Take care, everyone!

Marcio.

[9bd2842f]

man they just did that to me and i googled them to make sure and u just saved my eyes and  3 days of my life hahahaha

thank u so much man

[1551865a]

Glad I could be of help. Take care!

[a73a9417]

WAIT NO WAY!! i already spent 2 days doing the gig, i knew my gut feeling was right 😞 thankyou! i wont be giving them the work 🙂

[60731140]

What kind of scam that they do actually? Cause i already fall for everything:(

[f77789d9]

Hi

Yes, I was approached by the same people for some AutoCAD work

the job post on upwork says location is Germany

their website says Canada

&

the guy on Telegram **Edited for Community Guidelines** said that they are based in USA

i was very disturbed for past two days

even though I had started their work.

now I will completely stop doing work for these people

I wish Upwork had a way to screen these scammers out of their system!

[f96e937e]

Hi Marcio,

Thank you for sharing these. I just received the message from Nonna Jessy and the PDF file. I had the same experience as you.

Then, I Googled it and found that the scammer's number was not found on Get Contact. I also found a similar website named **Edited for Community Guidelines**

So, thank you, and take care, everyone.

[d90527f0]

I signed up for Upwork last week, did only one job, and then everything else was just scams.

[e771b44f]

Hi Marcio, thanks for sharing your story. I unfortunately got the same scam last night and was super excited about it. This morning  thankfully I was able to think straight and did some research on it. Luckily I haven't done anything yet. 

[90e9f84e]

Hi Marcio, I have unfortunetly fallen for this scam, I spent 4 days working and they told me to contact the finance department. Before I knew it I had payed 140 dollars in fees and they were asking for 217 more to "complete the process" and get payed. Do you know if there's a way to get my money back? I would hate to have lost 4 days of my life and money on top of that 😞

[b454334c]

Hi. I saw a post of them looking for a Vietnamese Translator 2 days ago, I sent them a proposal and then they contacted me today with the same pdf with a link to a telegram account of a woman named **Edited for Community Guidelines**. Then she sent me a pdf and told me to choose a project plan. The salary seemed too good to be true, so I was a bit suspicious :))) Also, the way they discussed and worked seemed unprofessional, so I did some research on Google and thankfully I found your post. I almost spend 5 days not sleeping to translate a 97-page document for them. You're a lifesaver!

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[9f76c703]

hi marcio, thanks for sharing your story. I had just finished my work with them but when I wanted to be paid, they told me to pay a certain amount of money so that my wages could be completed. I haven't given them any money because I'm in doubt. I'm grateful to find your story here.

[atatinma]

Is that really? It's been a bit weird since the first time they massaged in upwork platform. Oh thanks God, and thanks to you Marcio. Greetings! 

[putra-samosir]

I had the same experience today on translation project. Thank you so much for your warning. You're a lifesaver

[23a43fd5]

Hello Mauricio!

Thanks for sharing this information.

I applied for the following job **Edited for Community Guidelines**and they sent me a message with the steps I had to follow and a pdf from **Edited for Community Guidelines** with a suspicious link that I was afraid to open. I looked for information and thanks to your message I did not fall for the scam on that page.

[096fa666]

That's so sad. The same happened to me. I thought I had found my first online job 😞 I talked to a  man called Harris Smith. They almost got me. I'm glad you have shared your experience with us, Marcio. 

[m_terrazas]

Well, if you and everyone who has commented here had read the TOS (which you are supposed to have read when creating your account), it wouldn't have happened to any of you.
No communication outside of Upwork until contact is established.
Don't pay to work.
Do yourselves a favor and read the TOS and also these links:
- https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/To-all-freelancers-looking-for-help/m-p/1230482#M734358

- https://community.upwork.com/t5/Community-Blog/Top-Red-Flags-for-Scams-From-Community-Member-Wes-C/b...

[didine04]

A quick update, I was contacted by **Edited for Community Guidelines**and was asked to translate a project in 03 business days, I sent the work and then was told to give my IBAN via telegram to a guy named **Edited for Community Guidelines** under the account financial payment department so they could transfer the money. the payment supposed to be done was 2k USD. now their bank is asking for my ID and a refundable transfer of 120 USD to receive the 2k USD for my work. lol literally who can make such a stupid mistake !!!
Btw, the bank is Trust Bank Connect, and it doesn't exist, the guy on Telegram tryed to convince me that it's safe and sent me screenshots of people who have done the payment for verifications when I told him that I used to work as a KYC analyst with banks and such procedure never heard of it in my life he became very rude. 

Be Aware !!! 

[df57c5b4]

Tge job you apply for, was the client verified, cos i don't see why the transaction had to go outside Upwork to Telegram before you receive your money. Everything that started here on Upwork should end here on Upwork. Just asking.

[858610bc]

Ohh bro... You saved my 5 days....

[cb869027]

Hey man, thanks for this comment. I was just about to fall for the same scheme. In my case, my first red flag was going to telegram for the job offer. Then, the company website was about an architectural firm. Then, after I did not understand one of the phrases, I found that the translation they wanted was an exact copy of another book by another author. They assured me it was fine, but after a quick search, I found your comment. Trust your gut when something feels off.

[the-right-writer]

At the mention of Telegram, you should have reported the job by flagging, and not look back. You say, "Then..." No, it should have stopped at being asked to go off-site, which you did, and technically you can lose your account for good, because you broke the Terms of Service. "Then...  Then..." You participated in breaking the rules, repeatedly. So, you were willing to make an exact copy, plagiarism of an entire book, until you found out you weren't going to be paid. Unbelievable.

If you had followed the rules, you should not have gone off-site, not repeatedly continued to communicate off-site, and considered a job with nothing but stolen material. The correct action is to learn the rules before you are scammed or lose your account permanently. Go to the top of the page and use the link to the Academy if you want to learn how to freelance on this platform.

[cb869027]

Hello Jeanne, 

I understand that there were a lot of red flags that I should have taken as warnings and I am aware and accept that I was fooled too easily. This experience will not be repeated.

With that being said, you mentioned that I was "willing to make an exact copy, plagiarism of an entire book until you found out you weren't going to be paid". No, that is not the case at all. Normally, I would take your advice and strive to be better the next time without saying anything, but you are questioning my integrity, which I cannot leave unattended. I am not a sellout, willing to do anything for a bit of money.

My entire experience with this user lasted about 20 minutes. I went along with it because I was curious. The second I discovered the book was a copy, I called him out on it and immediately blocked him once he started saying it was okay. It is never acceptable to copy someone else's work. Then, I came to the platform to report him (which I did), and after a quick search, I found this thread where it seems many people had also been fooled. Yes, I made many mistakes because of my foolish curiosity, as did the people of this thread, but I would NEVER compromise my integrity by translating stolen material. I posted my original comment as a warning for anyone who might find this bait appealing, not as a complaint.

I thank you for your advice, but I needed to clarify that.

I wish you a good day.

[the-right-writer]

 I'm glad you clarified the issue. I understand your position.

Don't be curious in these situations. Online financials are not the place to express your curiosity. It's a hard lesson, but many of us don't know what else can be said to get freelancers to not take chances. Be safe.

[795aaefe]

Welp almost fall in their scam. Good thing I googled their so called "COMPANY" almost waste my 5 days doing their Plan B!

[the-right-writer]

There is no need to Google anything. Use the Academy to learn how to use the platform. If you talk to, text, or have any contact with any potential client outside of Upwork before an Upwork contract is in place, you broke the rules and can lose your account permanently. You can lose far more than 5 days, because they don't want the "work" they are after your money.

I’m a college student who seeks an opportunity in this website to help and earn and experience. I’m here to help and to guide as long as i can.

The above is the totality of your profile, and is guaranteed to get you nothing but scams. Virtual assistance only adds to your difficulty, because it is one of the most over-crowded fields. You should not even look at jobs or accept an invitation until you learn and will follow the rules. Taking a break and assessing if you have the skills and ability to function as a freelancer is a good move. At the very least, you need to stop looking at jobs until you have a real profile and learn how to create profiles, proposals, and work on Upwork correctly, and without breaking the rules.