Chargeback

[1074f531]

Dear fellow Upwork freelancers,

I wanted to share my experience working on a recent project with a client who went by the name **Edited for Community Guidelines**. I was hired to provide web design services and completed the work to the best of my ability, delivering the final product as requested. However, I was recently notified by Upwork that a payment made by this client had been reversed by his bank in the form of a chargeback.

I immediately reached out to the client to try to understand why this happened, but was met with silence. As I dug deeper into the situation, I discovered that the client had been trying to lure me into money laundering activities by repeatedly asking me to create direct contracts and send them to different email addresses with varying amounts. Although I reported this behavior to Upwork, they were unable to provide adequate protection on direct contracts, and I was left vulnerable to fraudulent activity.

To make matters worse, the client was using cloned credit cards and debit cards, which is something I had no knowledge of until after the fact. I believe this is why the chargeback occurred, as the bank may have detected fraudulent activity on the card used for payment.

I have attached screenshots of my conversations with the client, including his attempts to create direct contracts, and my communications with Upwork support regarding the fraudulent behavior. I hope that by sharing my experience, I can help other freelancers on the platform avoid similar situations in the future.

In conclusion, I would like to urge Upwork to provide better protection for freelancers working on direct contracts, as these types of situations can be very damaging to our reputation and financial stability. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Asher Mokua

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[NikolaS]

Hi Asher,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I shared your report with the team handling your case and one of our agents will follow up with you on your support ticket as soon as possible to assist you further. 

[1074f531]

Dear Nikola,

Thank you for reaching out to me and for sharing my report with the team handling my case. I appreciate your prompt response and I hope that the team will be able to help me resolve my issue.

However, I am deeply concerned about the mishandling of my case by Upwork. As you may recall, my previous assistant, **Edited for Community Guidelines**, was handling my case before it was abruptly switched to someone else. I was not informed about the reason for the switch, and I feel like my case was not properly communicated to the new assistant.

Furthermore, the response I received from Upwork Compliance was not satisfactory. They claimed that I violated their Terms of Service and restricted my account, even though I had not engaged in any non-work-related purchases or transactions outside of Upwork. I provided screenshots and detailed information to support my case, but it seems like the information was not thoroughly reviewed.

I feel like I am being unfairly punished while the client who engaged in fraudulent behavior gets to walk away scot-free. I have been a loyal and responsible freelancer on Upwork for a long time, and it is disheartening to be treated this way.

I am hoping that you can help me address this situation and provide some clarity on the matter. I am willing to work with Upwork to resolve this issue, but I need assurance that my case will be handled fairly and thoroughly. Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Asher

[ArjayM]

Hi Asher,

Thank you for following up and I'm sorry to learn about this disappointing experience. Some content of your post needs to be removed because, including names of persons or companies (or other identifying information) in an accusation of misconduct, incompetence, or other wrongdoing is not allowed. However, I can see that the ticket Nikola raised with your concern is still open, and rest assured that the teams handling it are working collaboratively to resolve the issue.

I've put a note on your case with your request. We highly suggest you continue coordinating with the team through that ticket here and one of the available agents will surely assist you accordingly. We seek your patience and utmost understanding while sorting this out for you. Thank you!

[1074f531]

Dear Arjay,

Thank you for your response. I understand that naming individuals or companies in accusations of misconduct, incompetence, or wrongdoing is not allowed on the forum, and I apologize for any inconvenience caused.

However, I want to reiterate the seriousness of my situation and emphasize the urgency of resolving this issue. As I have previously stated, my account was restricted without any concrete evidence or explanation, and despite my attempts to reach out to Upwork support and provide them with all the necessary information, my case has not been handled properly.

I have provided detailed information and evidence in my support ticket, but I feel like my case has not been given the attention it deserves. It is frustrating to see that nothing has been done to help me, and I am starting to lose faith in the Upwork platform and its support team.

I kindly request that you escalate my case to the appropriate team and prioritize its resolution. I am willing to cooperate and provide any additional information that may be required to help resolve this matter. I hope that Upwork can show its commitment to protecting its freelancers by taking swift action to resolve my case.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Best regards, 

Asher Mokua

[1074f531]

Dear Community Members,

I am writing to you today to share my experience with Upwork's support system and how it has left me feeling frustrated and disheartened. I have been a loyal user of Upwork for quite some time, and I have always appreciated the platform's ease of use and the many opportunities it provides for freelancers like myself.

Recently, however, I had a terrible experience with Upwork's support team, which has left me questioning whether the platform truly values its freelancers. The incident began when I noticed some unusual activity on my account and was subsequently notified by Upwork that my account had been temporarily suspended pending an investigation.

I provided all of the requested information to Upwork, including my location, device information, details of the work on my contracts, and screenshots of all communication with my clients, as requested by the Upwork Trust & Safety team. I received an automated email response from Upwork acknowledging receipt of my information, but I was never informed of the outcome of the investigation.

To make matters worse, my case was assigned to different support assistants at different times, which I believe contributed to the mishandling of my case. It was as if my case was passed around from one support assistant to another, and it seemed as if no one was truly invested in helping me.

I am extremely disappointed in Upwork's support system, and I want to bring this to the attention of the community. I believe that Upwork's approach to handling cases like mine reduces the chances of freelancers winning their cases and may ultimately result in freelancers being forced to pay back money that is rightfully theirs. This approach seems to prioritize the clients' interests over the freelancers' interests, which is deeply concerning.

Furthermore, I was never informed of the outcome of the investigation, which left me feeling as though my concerns were not taken seriously. As a freelancer, my livelihood depends on my ability to use the Upwork platform, and it is disheartening to feel as though my concerns are not being heard.

I am sharing this experience with you because I believe it is essential for the Upwork community to be aware of the potential pitfalls of the platform's support system. I hope that by sharing my experience, other freelancers will be able to navigate similar situations more effectively.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that I am still an Upwork user and that I believe in the potential of the platform. However, I do feel that there are areas that need improvement, and I hope that Upwork will take my concerns seriously and work to address them.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and I hope that my experience will help others in the Upwork community.

Sincerely,

Asher

[v_akomolafe]

Hello, 

I've put in a lot of effort over the years while adhering to the rules and directives that have been provided to me to operate on this platform. I completely follow your guidelines, and I think it is ideal for consumer pleasure if you respect my viewpoint as well.

I completed this piece with Tyler a few months ago. He handed me the task with the one-time hiring section and hired me. He paid me without issue when I completed the task. Only to see chargeback on my account.thus learning that I couldn't withdraw my money when I opened my email today weakened me. Because I trust this platform and wouldn't expect to be ripped off for the job I performed, all I ask is proper justice in this matter. It will be upsetting to lose money through that method because my account was founded on strong reputations.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to hearing from you.

[feed_my_eyes]

What was the job - did it require you to purchase crypto on behalf of the client, as many scams do?

[NikolaS]

Hi Victor,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I shared your concern with the team handling your case and one of our agents will follow up with you on your support ticket as soon as possible to assist you further. Please know that we won't be able to share any specifics about your case here in Community. 

[1074f531]

Dear Upwork Community,

I am writing to update you on my ongoing case with Upwork regarding a client who was suspected of fraudulent behavior. As some of you may recall, I reported a client who tried to lure me into fraudulent activities on Upwork. I was contacted by Upwork Assistant Gabriel, who took up my case and started investigating the matter.

Recently, I received a response from Upwork, but it was not from Gabriel. Instead, I received a response from a different Upwork assistant named **Edited for Community Guidelines**. In his response, **Edited for Community Guidelines** mentioned some unusual activity on my Direct Contracts that violate Upwork's Terms of Service. However, I was confused as I never had any transactions outside of Upwork, and I made sure to mention this in my previous communications with Upwork.

I provided screenshots of my conversation with the client to Upwork, showing that I never transacted any money outside of Upwork. Despite this, I feel like my case has been misunderstood and mishandled by the assistant who took over my case.

I am deeply concerned that my case has not been given the attention it deserves. I urge Upwork to take my case seriously and review it thoroughly. I would also like to request that Upwork reinstates **Edited for Community Guidelines** the Upwork assistant who was initially handling my case, as he was the one who had all the relevant information.

I believe that it is unfair that the client in question appears to have gotten away with fraudulent activities, while I have been punished by Upwork. I kindly request that Upwork reconsiders their decision and looks into my case more closely.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Asher Mokua

[lysis10]

The money is gone, buddy. Probably "don't participate in criminal activity" should be part of your common sense on Upwork.

[1074f531]

---

Jennifer M wrote:

The money is gone, buddy. Probably "don't participate in criminal activity" should be part of your common sense on Upwork.

Thank you for your response. I understand your perspective, but I want to clarify that I did not participate in any criminal activity. As a freelancer, I rely on Upwork to protect my rights and ensure fair treatment. In this situation, I followed all of Upwork's guidelines and provided all necessary information to resolve the issue. Despite my efforts, my case was mishandled and I was left with no clear resolution. I believe it's important for the Upwork community to be aware of these issues so we can work together to improve the platform for everyone. Thank you for your understanding.

---

[yofazza]

It is curious how web design completed to the best of ability relates to money laundering, direct contracts, etc.

Explain a bit more if you may?

[1074f531]

Thank you for your response. To give more context, my client claimed that they needed a website procedural services for their business, and I agreed to complete the work for them. However, as the project progressed, it became clear that something was off. My clients repeatedly asked me to communicate with them outside of Upwork, which I refused to do as it violated Upwork's policies.

After some investigation, I discovered that my client was using cloned credit cards to fund their projects on Upwork, which is illegal and a clear violation of Upwork's terms of service. They were also trying to get me to send them a portion of the payments outside of the Upwork platform, which is another violation of Upwork's policies.

When I reported the issue to Upwork, they placed a hold on my account and requested more information. I provided all the requested information and screenshots, but my case was mishandled, and I was never updated on the outcome of the investigation. Upwork also assigned my case to multiple support agents, which made it challenging to keep track of the progress and hindered my ability to make a case.

Overall, my experience with Upwork has been frustrating, to say the least. As a freelancer, I rely on the platform to find work and support myself. It's disheartening to see how quickly Upwork can freeze your account and mishandle your case without providing any updates or assistance. I hope Upwork takes this seriously and makes changes to their policies and support system to prevent cases like mine from happening again.

[yofazza]

Okay. I assume you didn't send them anything?

As for 'Upwork should take this seriously', nope, it's been happening for years that it becomes 'normal'.

Some people even speculate that this is Upwork's way on doing natural selection.

[1074f531]

Thank you for your response. No, I didn't send them anything outside of the Upwork platform.

It's disappointing to hear that this has been happening for years and has become 'normal.' As a freelancer who depends on Upwork for work opportunities, it's disheartening to hear that the platform doesn't take such incidents seriously.

As for the speculation about natural selection, I believe that every freelancer should be given an equal chance to succeed on the platform without fear of fraudulent activities. Thank you again for your response.

[1074f531]

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