Discouraged...Help...Scams vs Legit Postings

[kanemanagement]

Why have 95% of jobs I have posted to requested communication or survey via email or skype?! And then some have looked fishy with bad grammar, punctuation or said they'll send me money for me to get equipment. *Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors as I am typing in a rush and am frustrated but want to get this posted for help. 

I am new to this site but am getting very discouraged with the number of people that have contacted me but seem to violate the terms. I tread lightly but there seems to be no one at upwork that I can talk to. Only a chat box that forwards my email. If responsiveness is important then how can I be expected to send an email then wait for a reply from support before responding to a potential job?! That could cost me an actual legit job.

 I submitted a proposal to a job called Proofreading and Editing. After discussing the job on here they sent me an assessment on here, which I completed and they asked for my resume that I uploaded. Then they said look for an offer letter via email (did not think to remove my email from my resume). I saw the offer letter then noticed that my proposal on here was declined. I then saw my messages with the contact Pamela had disappeared.  Like what the heck?! Did I just get scammed? What am I missing? Why am I having so much difficulty with getting legit communications? Please help!

[tlbp]

Many of the Upwork rules are designed to help protect you from scams. 
For example, don't communicate off the platform until you have a contract. And, of course, you know, don't accept a check to buy equiptment.

Other strategies aren't part of the rules but will help protect you. Don't send your resume or other personal information to random strangers on the internet (even if they are promising a job). You have an Upwork profile, it should be very rare for any one to need your resume to choose to hire you.

Consider Upwork just like any other corner of the world. There will be good sincere people trying to transact legitimate business and there will be scammer. Scammers look on new freelancers like hopeful young kids from coming off the bus. They will target you. 😟

Study up on online scams and the strategies scammers use so you can see them coming. 

[a_lipsey]

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Latasha M wrote:

Why have 95% of jobs I have posted to requested communication or survey via email or skype?! And then some have looked fishy with bad grammar, punctuation or said they'll send me money for me to get equipment. *Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors as I am typing in a rush and am frustrated but want to get this posted for help. 

I am new to this site but am getting very discouraged with the number of people that have contacted me but seem to violate the terms. I tread lightly but there seems to be no one at upwork that I can talk to. Only a chat box that forwards my email. If responsiveness is important then how can I be expected to send an email then wait for a reply from support before responding to a potential job?! That could cost me an actual legit job.

 I submitted a proposal to a job called Proofreading and Editing. After discussing the job on here they sent me an assessment on here, which I completed and they asked for my resume that I uploaded. Then they said look for an offer letter via email (did not think to remove my email from my resume). I saw the offer letter then noticed that my proposal on here was declined. I then saw my messages with the contact Pamela had disappeared.  Like what the heck?! Did I just get scammed? What am I missing? Why am I having so much difficulty with getting legit communications? Please help!

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The scammers target newbies particularly in the Proofreading and Editing field. Legit clients rarely ever ask for your resume. 

I am not in that field so I don't recall what the red flags are to look for. Hopefully another editor can come in and help you narrow down your searches so you stop applying to those jobs. My understanding is it's actually quite obvious if you know what to look for. 

There is legit work here, but like I said, scammers do target newbies. 

[JoanneP]

Hi Latasha,

In addition to the helpful advice shared with you already, I'd like to confirm that it is a violation of Upwork TOS to communicate outside of Upwork before a contract is placed. We find that when users communicate outside of Upwork there is an increased risk of fraud, scam, and other harmful behaviors. When communications (and work) stay on our platform we can better track, verify, and help address any issues that emerge, and as a result, the potential for these behaviors to cause harm decreases dramatically. For example, the vast majority of scammers that successfully take advantage of talent do so by going off the platform. 

If you see a job or a profile that seems suspicious, you can report it to us using the flagging option. You can read more on this help article and also, please check out Tips to avoid questionable jobs. You might also want to check out the information here to learn more about staying safe on Upwork. 

[martina_plaschka]

Not communicating outside of upwork before hire will keep you safe 99,99%. That's what this stipulation is for. 

Once you have a reasonable work history on your profile, scammers will leave you alone. And don't do mini 5 $ jobs, they don't look good on your profile, and since the job is private, some people might even think there is something fishy going on there.