Check for Copied Profiles - Take Action Already

[browersr]

A few years ago I used to have to complain to UW all of the time because my profile was stolen by another. A change was eventually made and the issue went away. I happened to just check again after a very long time and again I found multiple people have copied my profile changing only a few words.  To add insult to injury they also have the check mark that verifies their identity. 

As was the case some years ago, I continue to wonder why UW does not do a very simply search when a profile is created/updated to see if it matches someone else's. I am not asking for advanced AI or machine learning here. Most people are not clever and will do what my latest lazy impostor did which is a cut/paste job with maybe a word or two changed. This is trivial to uncover. 

So my request again to UW is to please take a few moments away from doing things like inserting emoji into our profiles and implement a drop dead simple search to flag copies of profiles. If we are going to do identity verifications (didn't help me here assuming the copy was prior) then we should also be taking the most basic of steps to ensure profiles are protected and the platform isn't harboring fakes and scammers. 

[versailles]

Is there a reason why Upwork doesn't perform a text comparison against the database when a profile overview is saved?

[BojanS]

Hi Scott, 

I was able to locate the profiles I believe you're referring to. I'll make sure the correct team review those and action is taken.

We will continue improving our review process for profiles. We appreciate you flagging this so we could share feedback with the team.

[versailles]

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Bojan S wrote:

We will continue improving our review process for profiles. 

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If you continue improving your review process for profiles, you guys may end up fixing the Aussie Voice breach one of these days.

[browersr]

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Bojan S wrote:

Hi Scott, 

I was able to locate the profiles I believe you're referring to. I'll make sure the correct team review those and action is taken.

We will continue improving our review process for profiles. We appreciate you flagging this so we could share feedback with the team.

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I appreciate the action being taken, Bojan. However, we've complained about this copy/paste stuff for years and no action has been taken. On top of that now that there is the "blue check" next to the name, there is additional insult to injury here.  Rene's pithy version of my point is a great question. 

[feed_my_eyes]

How do you check?

[mwiggenhorn]

Christine - I cut and paste a few lines from the middle of my profile into Google search.

[mwiggenhorn]

I realize that this is a terrible and ongoing and often ignored problem.  Although my profile has not been copied, I have pre-emptively made it private.

[versailles]

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Christine A wrote:

How do you check?

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Grab a sentence from your overview and run it with quotes in Google and Upwork's freelancer search engine.

[mtngigi]

I have asked numerous times about what is involved in the profile acceptance process (having migrated from Elance, I don't know the process).

Many not only steal profile copy, they also help themselves to portfolio items and attribute the work as their own.  I don't know, but I would think that a little bit of time to vet new profiles would save a lot of work after the fact, in both upset freelancers and even more upset clients, when they learn they're working with a faker whose skills do not match their overview or their portfolio.

A few weeks ago, I reported a so-called designer who came to the forum asking for input on his profile. Amazingly, he had not one, but two Behance links he suggested potential clients look at. Both links went to two completely different people. One of them was actually an Upwork freelancer! Her link was in the body of his overview, the other one was in his portfolio. Thankfully he got zapped. But if someone had scanned his overview, those two links would have stood out.

Upwork needs to stop accepting anyone and everyone without at least a little vetting beforehand, and stop worrying about putting little rockets on our profiles.

[lysis10]

I don't even want to search for mine because I'm sure I'll find someone and rage so hard. I'm sure all the regs on here get copied by the 99% NEET losers on here.

[sergio-soria]

I feel flattered because I searched for mine and found two people from US who had copied my lines, and I am not even a native English speaker, so I must be perfect at writing! Hahaha

[a_lipsey]

Does setting your profile to private mean it doesn't show up in searches that client's might invite you to jobs for? (sorry, very tired, might not make sense)

If my profile is set to private, can a potential client still find me and send me invitations? 

Thanks,
Amanda 

[petra_r]

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Amanda L wrote:

Does setting your profile to private mean it doesn't show up in searches that client's might invite you to jobs for?

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correct.

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Amanda L wrote:

If my profile is set to private, can a potential client still find me and send me invitations? 

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No, they can not.

[browersr]

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Petra R wrote:

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Amanda L wrote:

Does setting your profile to private mean it doesn't show up in searches that client's might invite you to jobs for?

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correct.

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Amanda L wrote:

If my profile is set to private, can a potential client still find me and send me invitations? 

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No, they can not.

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And this is exactly why that path is not a viable solution. We just have to keep Googling our profile and reporting these clowns. 

[browersr]

Another exact copy of my profile pops up today. I guess I am stuck having to check myself each and every day because we cannot seem to find a way after many years to detect EXACT word for word copies...

[browersr]

Wow, found yet another exact copy. I guess I should hire a freelancer to do nothing but find copies of my profile all day....

[zoomconcepts]

Bumping this because I'm with freshly edited profiles in an attempt to avoid being one of 10 people with the same overview, and just a few days later someone's already copied two of my overviews word for word. Flagging them seems to do nothing. I wouldn't mind changing my overview regularly (ready at the first copycat, set at the 5th, go at the 10th) but it would just mean I'm writing people's overviews for free, and honestly, I'm not even that good with words. Any chance for a better system for pointing out plagiarists?