Client paying in advance. is this a scam?

[teofilh]

A client asked me to contact him via whatsapp.

He is asking me to do a web devlopment job.

The fishy thing is, that, he says he is going to pay me an amount of money. Lets say 10k.
Then, i will have to send them 80% of that money and keep my 20%. The reason for that is for the company that hired him to see the cash flow going in the right direction.

Is this a potential scam or i am just paranoic?

[00137e0a]

 Hi Teofil,

You can't contact clients outside Upwork without a contract in place first. It's against the rules. If people just followed this simple rule, 95% of scams on Upwork would be avoided. 

Second, of course it's a scam, and a quite obvious one.

[martina_plaschka]

The cash flow going in the right direction - how does that make any sense?

Your first mistake was talking outside of upwork. That is not allowed and you can get suspended for it. 

It is a scam where you would pay 80% and get 0% because the client will never pay. It could also be money-laundering, which has really bad consequences in most countries. 

[roberty1y]

Then, i will have to send them 80% of that money and keep my 20%. The reason for that is for the company that hired him to see the cash flow going in the right direction.

That's a new one - "Send me money - I've been hired to test the cash flow". The "right direction" is into his pocket.

It's a scam, of course. As others have said, you shouldn't have made any contact outside of this site - that can get your account suspended when you do it before you start a contract.

[renata101 · Accepted solution]

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Teofil H wrote:

The fishy thing is, that, he says he is going to pay me an amount of money. Lets say 10k.
Then, i will have to send them 80% of that money and keep my 20%. The reason for that is for the company that hired him to see the cash flow going in the right direction.

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Hi Teofil,

You have excellent instincts! Yes, you have snagged a very big, very fishy client (or a smaller client who is fishy in a big way). The best thing to do is to flag the job, then throw him or her back into the client pool because you're very right about the smell. (Think "catch and release.")

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Is this a potential scam or i am just paranoic?

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Paranoia is your friend. A little paranoia goes a long, long way on Upwork.

This is an excellent tool one of the freelancers developed (it might take a little while to load):

https://community.upwork.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11652iE61EB1CD6618724E?v=v2

[0db4dda8]

No

[759e32fa]

Hi Teofil,

Thank you for reaching out to us. As a gentle reminder, please know that communicating outside Upwork prior to a contract starting is a violation of our Terms of Service and your account could get suspended for this.

Please utilize our Message Center in order to protect yourself from scams. Additionally, you can send us a flag if you encounter any suspicious user activity so we can investigate.

You may also want to read this post by one of our Community members about top ed flags for scams to protect yourself moving forward.

[alexandernovikov]

It is certainly, clearly a scam.

[pgiambalvo]

It is a scam.

[elyannie]

Yup! That's a scam! Don't take on any work that involves moving money around in that way. Keeping the conversations on the platform will help you to avoid the shady scammers out there! If you run into stuff like that you can also always ask us here in the community. We look after each other 🙂 

[renata101]

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Elyannie W wrote:

Yup! That's a scam! Don't take on any work that involves moving money around in that way. Keeping the conversations on the platform will help you to avoid the shady scammers out there! If you run into stuff like that you can also always ask us here in the community. We look after each other 🙂 

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Wes, one of the freelancers wrote this field guide to different types of fishy clients and monetization schemes that it's a good idea to steer clear of:

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Community-Blog/Top-Red-Flags-for-Scams-From-Community-Member-Wes-C/b...

[the-right-writer]

The fishy thing was wanting you to contact them on Whatsapp.

[wickedlnl]

Comon man, you cant be that daft not to notice a scam like this. They will send $10.000 to your account and then they will have this massive trust that you will return 80% of that to them and keep your 20% LOL. Do you really think a random stranger will trust you to return their massive money?

[teofilh]

Hey Guys!

Thanks for all the advice and the kind response
I kind of knew that it was a scam, but,  I havent had a job on upwork so i got a little too excited. That for sure clouded my ability to think.

I decided not to continue with them and just block them off of every platform i got contacted by them.
Thanks, community!

P.S: BEAWARE! there are many scammers there! dont get too excited 😄

[73ccf2d0]

This situation sounds suspicious and potentially like a scam. Be cautious and avoid engaging in any financial transactions or agreements that seem unusual or raise red flags. Legitimate employers don't typically ask their employees to handle money in this manner, and such requests are often associated with fraudulent activities.

It's essential to protect yourself from potential scams. If someone is asking you to send money back to them or to another party after receiving funds, it's best to avoid it altogether. Always research and verify the legitimacy of the company and the job offer before taking any action. If you're unsure, seek advice from a trusted source or consult with legal professionals to ensure your safety and security.

[elisa_b]

Where does this generic and partially incorrect reply come from? You should be careful with giving advice if you do not know what you are talking about.

There is no need to consult a legal professional, since transactions outside of Upwork are forbidden. It is pointless to check whether a company exists or not, since scammers take fake names.