Client Contacted me to do a job interview but he and the job posting have been removed from the site

[51eebac2]

I am new to Upwork so fogive me if this question is redundant, but a client reached out to me asking to do a skype interview but he and the job posting have been removed from the site. Is this because it was a scam? Should I not contact him back via the email address he gave me?

Thanks in advance!

[petra_r]

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Anthony C wrote:

I am new to Upwork so fogive me if this question is redundant, but a client reached out to me asking to do a skype interview but he and the job posting have been removed from the site. Is this because it was a scam? Should I not contact him back via the email address he gave me?

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Yes, it ws a scam and no, you should not contact the client via email. At this stage you'll have to treat any unsolicited invites with extreme caution and potentially as scams. New freelancers with no track record are rarely invited and those in the USA are the main target for fake check scams etc.

[51eebac2]

Thanks you for letting me know! Is there a way to spot the fake job listings and is it possible for the cost of applying to be returned to my account? Sorry for more questions.

[petra_r]

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Anthony C wrote:

Thanks you for letting me know! Is there a way to spot the fake job listings and is it possible for the cost of applying to be returned to my account? Sorry for more questions.

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If you were invited there was no cost to apply. In general, if job posts and clients are suspended, you get your Connects back.

Here is a flowchart I made ages ago, it may help. In general, scammers don't have a verified payment method and no history, they usually have VERY new accounts. That does not mean all new clients are scammers by ANY stretch of the imagination, you just want to be careful.

[martina_plaschka]

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Anthony C wrote:

Thanks you for letting me know! Is there a way to spot the fake job listings and is it possible for the cost of applying to be returned to my account? Sorry for more questions.

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The job posting might look legit, what the scammers do afterwards is the problem, but you might still stay away from new clients without a history, clients inviting/interviewing loads of freelancers. Also, decline ANY interview that is not on upwork before hire, never send your email or any other personal data. This usually stops them.

[BojanS]

Hi Anthony,

Thank you for flagging this for us. I've checked and connects were already refunded to you as the job has been taken down because it was in violation of Upwork TOS and action has been taken on the client account. You can check this under your Connect History. 

Please check this help article for more information on how to use the flag option found on each job post or message to report any suspicious or inappropriate content. Also, check out this post for more tips on how to avoid questionable jobs.

Thank you!