Can "Suspected Scam" be added to the Thumbs Down option?

[bundie702]

This would eliminate the need to go into the job and click on "Flag as Inappropriate" and then having to click on either that it includes contact information or appears to be a scam. Since there are so many  of these postings and nothing has been done to date, why not at least make it easier for us? Or is it that no one other than the freelancer sees these? (If that's the case, maybe Upwork can change that as well and make it visible to them?)

Personally, I believe the multitude of scam postings is the #1 problem on Upwork and deserves all the attention they can give it, not rolling out betas to test other functions. It has threatened their reputation. I now see that scammers are putting in statements that their jobs are open to new freelancers (one even had "New Freelancers" in their ad title!). It's heartbreaking to read about people getting scammed (yes, even if they've jumped in without doing appropriate research).

[martina_plaschka]

That would be a good thing to have. I've stopped flagging some time ago because it was a serious waste of my time. 

I would call it "100% scam" though, since they are so easy to spot, which makes it even harder to understand that upwork seems to be unable to identify them. 

[bundie702]

" I've stopped flagging some time ago because it was a serious waste of my time."

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So have I, for the most part, and for the same reason. I might do one or two per day, and that's all.

[gilbert-phyllis]

I fear that would result in every job by a client with unverified payment getting flagged multiple times an hour, not to mention every job by a client without a hiring history, and who knows what else. There are too many unfounded rumors circulating about what signals a scam (and sometimes, what actually constitutes a scam attempt). 

[bundie702]

"I fear that would result in every job by a client with unverified payment getting flagged multiple times an hour, not to mention every job by a client without a hiring history, and who knows what else."

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Good point. Sadly, you're probably right. Sigh...I just can't believe that after all this time Management still hasn't done anything to address this. The problem is clearly out of control, like a little spark that grows into a 4-alarm inferno.

Maybe if they gave specific options: "Contact Info Given," "Pay Too High to be Real," etc. (I just don't want to give up!).

[petra_r]

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Bettye U wrote:

Maybe if they gave specific options: "Contact Info Given," "Pay Too High to be Real," etc. (I just don't want to give up!).

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The thumbs down thing doesn't actually do anything other than hiding the job from your feed, It doesn't report the job post or anything, so adding any options to it wouldn't really help.

I'd like the "Flag as Inappropriate" option to be available without having to open the job post(s) because there are so many scams that it's simply not practical to open and flag every one.

[bundie702]

"The thumbs down thing doesn't actually do anything other than hiding the job from your feed, It doesn't report the job post or anything, so adding any options to it wouldn't really help."

I see. That is why I stated, "Or is it that no one other than the freelancer sees these? (If that's the case, maybe Upwork can change that as well and make it visible to them?)"

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"I'd like the "Flag as Inappropriate" option to be available without having to open the job post(s) because there are so many scams that it's simply not practical to open and flag every one."

Exactly!

[atlinguist]

Maybe requiring all potential clients to pay a (refundable) deposit would deter the scammers. You pay for almost every information retrieval or agency service in the offline world.

Why not let us providers feel like we're "worth it" by saying, "Hey, you can't just walk off with our most prized resources"? 

[bundie702]

I'm afraid that anything that involves clients to be charged (even if refundable) will be a turnoff for them.

[allergywriter]

I've got an idea, why not let the Upwork AI just scan all job postings and kick back the ones that include contact info. All the scam jobs I see say to contact the scammer on Telegram, WhatsApp, etc

[bundie702]

So many suggestions have been made. This one seems reasonable to me, and none too difficult at that (although I'm not an IT person so can't say for sure). I honestly don't understand why Upwork has not initiated any action at all. I know it's a delicate situation and they don't want to alienate their clients, but something has to be done.

[itranslatethings]

Yes, please! I completely forgot you can even flag individual jobs because I just don't even click on the scams. But I still wanted to report them. It's a hassle opening a new tab for each scam and reporting it, especially when there are several in a row.

[efa8dda5]

I want to assure the community that our T&S Operations team reviews every flag from our customers. We triage flags internally to get flagged content to the appropriate team for review and take action when we find content that violates our Terms of Service, including removing that content when applicable.

[Anonymous-User]

Caitlyn

I read your trust and safety post.

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Announcements/Updates-from-the-Trust-and-Safety-Team/ba-p/1077370

Please, please please can you start looking at blocking clients that put contact information whether it is telegram, email, or whattsapp information in the job post? Lots of freelancers who may have little or no connects may use this direct link to work/money and end up paying a price, hopefully not.

Like other freelancers on this thread i'm getting tired of flagging, it's already too late when it has hit the platform feeds. And please don't tell the freelancers not to do it , it's against ToS, desperate people from disadvantaged countries may see Upwork as a chance to improve and taken in by the scams. Come on it makes sense.

As for me, I'm not going to bother flagging inappropriate job feeds anymore, if Upwork won't help defend it's reputation, i'm tired of doing it for them.