Can employer pay Upwork to opt out?

[7fb4cd5d]

I have received a proposal to work but the company wants to pay me the reduced amount and not go through upwork. They said they are paying upwork to opt out? Is this OK to do? I really want it to go through upwork.

[NikolaS]

Hi Clydia,

Thank you for reaching out to us and bringing this to our attention. Never get paid or pay someone outside of Upwork. You may open yourself up to scams or fraud, and lose Upwork Payment Protection. You may want to check this help article and this thread to help you stay safe on Upwork. 

Additionally, I checked and it seems that you already created a support ticket regarding your report. Please allow more time for our team to review your case and respond accordingly to your ticket.

[7fb4cd5d]

Thank you for follow up. This employer is a scam and sent me a bogus check. By email, within 15 mins of being hired for $2,000 to buy a computer I do not need. I checked with the computer company and they are fraudulently using their name.

I also checked with bank and check is bogus.

I reported the fraud to the computer company who indicated they have received 3 or 4 of these scams from the same people and have reported it to Upwork.

[martina_plaschka]

It is possible that a client will pay the opt-out fee, but I don't think it ever happened, especially not for a new freelancer they have never worked with. In your case, it would amount to $18720. 

Next time a scammer tries to convince you they paid it - just for the priviledge of paying you outside of upwork - ask them to show you their remittance in the amount of $18720. 

[7fb4cd5d]

Thank you. This is very helpful.