Re: *Edited* - I've been scammed - Page 2

lernice-parker · ‎11-02-2022

I am relatively new to Upwork and received a project from the above asking me to convert and type a document from PDF to Word. Being desperate for money, I quickly said yes and typed out a 100 page document for these fools only to get to the end and complete it within their timeframe for them to ask me for $100 afterwards.

When I mentioned I don't have the money, the person I was speaking to started getting aggravated and angry. Blocked me now on Telegram.

How do I report this to Upwork?

Will I get paid for this project or is this just a lost cause?

How do I move forward and can I?

85c5564a · ‎03-01-2023

I am new uowork and I got this same project of 100 images to convert into images. I have spent my time, labor and completed the project and sumitted. When I have asked for payment, they have asked $150 as linking fee to be linked with their company payment server. I said; i am not afford to pay it. Then they asked me to pay $50...

2ac7ecf1 · ‎03-03-2023

**Edited for Community Guidelines ** it's a new acoount on telegram this scammer, i've been also scamed of **Edited for Community Guidelines**. And so that no one gets caught, I provide screenshots and lists of mailboxes of this scamer
emails **Edited for Community Guidelines**

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

1ff2d4e7 · ‎03-04-2023

I saw this company's job detail, I summited a proposal, and he gets me a telegram ID, i almost to work for him. So thank you so much!

m_terrazas · ‎03-04-2023

Jota L wrote:
I saw this company's job detail, I summited a proposal, and he gets me a telegram ID, i almost to work for him. So thank you so much!

For you (you must change the profile photo, what you have is not allowed) and for many of those who have commented here.
I've seen the profiles of quite a few and, well, the "nothing profile" match is overwhelming.
Ask. How many of you have read the TOS that you claimed to have read when creating your profile?
Because in them it clearly says that you should not communicate with clients outside of Upwork until you have a contract.

So do yourself a favor. And the others too if you read this.
Start by reading this:
https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/To-all-freelancers-looking-for-help/m-p/1222058#M731117

cbdd2878 · ‎03-19-2023

I'm new to the community and I find it normal to discuss work outside of Upwork, but get paid through Upwork. I think we need a YouTube tutorial video to get Upwork working properly. And the video should be on the main page of the Upwork website.

AveryO · ‎03-19-2023

Hi Vasyl,

As a gentle reminder, please note that users cannot communicate off Upwork until a contract has been set up on your account (the client sent an offer, and you accepted it). It would also be best to visit these articles for more information on how you can keep in line with Upwork's Terms of Service when engaging on the website:

You may also want to read up on this Community article and these articles for more information about working safely through Upwork.

As for working safely on Upwork, talent may explore the Trust & Safety Courses in the Upwork Academy.

~ Avery

aa6f2a13 · ‎03-06-2023

Hi Lernice,

If it is any consolation, I too was a potential scam victim by this Marine team. I submitted a 50 img convert to pdf and as usual paynt was thru Paypal but i was told by these fools thru email that i will need to submit a refundable deposit of USD80 in order for the payment to push thru. Screw that!! I gave them a piece of my mind and accepted the fact.

My mistake was two :

1. Not doing research about the company

2. Transactions were done outside of Upwork ( in my case, Telegram).

Lesson learned but hey thank you you for voicing out. I was also thinking where can i voice out and then i saw your post.

Lets not give up and move forward.

95d1f228 · ‎03-15-2023

I just received the same offer and thought it strange that I was asked to communicate via Telegram instead of the platform. I checked this morning and the proposal was removed and my correspondence deleted. I just had an uneasy feeling in my gut when I saw that. I was initially contacted by **Edited for Community Guidelines** and then asked to contact **Edited for Community Guidelines** on Telegram. He said they needed a medical researcher to convert jpeg to Word, but the document sent through had nothing to do with medical research. Quite disappointing that the first job I apply for on Upwork turns out to be a scam.

d35b19c8 · ‎04-12-2023

I am new to UpWork and did not read the guidelines correctly, I fell for the scam, and started working on translating but was highly suspicius how this is allowed so I searched and found this forum. Can you please advise, as I have provided them my email and full name, can they do anything with this information? As soon as I read this, I blocked them and deinstalled telegram which I do not use.

d32eeb63 · ‎03-17-2023

Hello everyone,

I am new to Upwork and i received a same scam proposal last night from a company called **Edited for Community Guidelines**. They sent me a message on Upwork and provided a link to their Telegram. I messaged them there, and they asked me to introduce myself. After our conversations, they offered me a job to convert 100 JPG images into PDF files for $2500. I decided to search for this company on Google and came across this page where I read reviews about them. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and helping me save my time and money.

PradeepH · ‎03-17-2023

Hi Sayam,

I checked the job post you were referring to and it appears that it's already been taken down because it was in violation of Upwork TOS.

Please check out this course for more tips on staying safe on Upwork and please use the flag option found on each job post or message anytime you’d like to report a violation.

Thank you,

Pradeep

d32eeb63 · ‎03-18-2023

Thanks for informing me that the job post is no longer available. I appreciate your help and will look into the course you recommended to stay safe on Upwork. I'll use the flag option if I come across any policy violations. Thanks again.

31a536a7 · ‎05-24-2023

Hi I am brand new to Upwork I have applied for a data entry job.I received a link to telegram on Upwork to contact project manager.I clicked on it,it took me to telegram the PM has shared 100 pictures to type and convert to pdf.But after work has done and submitted he asked for money to be paid to link our bank account .The email address for review he shared is **Edited for Community Guidelines**.The imp one to find fake is he will hide pho no:

AveryO · ‎05-24-2023

Hi Pavani,

As a gentle reminder, please note that users cannot offer and accept payments outside of Upwork and cannot communicate off Upwork until a contract has been set up on your account (the client sent an offer, and you accepted it). Both are a violation of the Upwork Terms of Service. It would also be best to visit these articles for more information on how you can keep in line with Upwork's Terms of Service when engaging on the website:

In the meantime, you may also want to read up on this Community article and these articles for more information about working safely through Upwork.

~ Avery

d385224c · ‎03-18-2023

Haaaa it was very painful to hear that I too was just a step to be a victim but I had to refrain back when he wanted to use my login to pay the transaction, I quickly sense they are scammers.

I am so sorry for your lost.

Let us be watchful any clients that doesn't verified his payment with Upwork is a scammer.

evita22001 · ‎04-20-2023

Hello I was just wondering if the payment came through

k_froudarakis · ‎04-20-2023

Evanthia, obviously not. Also, never work without a contract and never give your log in details to anyone. If you shared bank details or log-ins please change them immediately.

Also, join the Greece group and ask for help there. 99% of the posts there are in Greek too.

abhimanyu808 · ‎03-18-2023

Telegram username of this lady doing scam is

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

abhimanyu-bind · ‎03-19-2023

100 of such scam posts (convert pdf or type screenshots, or even translation in any language) are hovering in my job feeds, the primary thing to understand is, not to take communication outside the upowrk (it is telegram in your case) before getting hired for the job on upwork through advance deposit in escrow or for an hourly job.

If you are communicating outside the upwork and doing any task without getting hired, then it doesn't fall under upwork protection, so, no payments, in fact, doing that may attract action on your account by upwork.

abhimanyu808 · ‎03-19-2023

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

this lady is doing scam

cbdd2878 · ‎03-19-2023

I also have been scamed by the way.

But, on the other hand, I read the first part "HISTORY OF THE CRIME OF THE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY" of Victor Hugo.

So there is a positive side to it. :O)

P.S. ...and was able to undergo additional retype training in English :O)

adhikaribipin50 · ‎03-31-2023

Recently I've done the project for them which was a deal for converting 100 images into word for 2500$ and I've just sent them the work by working all day and night. They have replied to my mail saying that my work was good and accepted by them and they want my bank details to transfer the money. Did you guys also got replied from them like mine please give a response

AndreaG · ‎03-31-2023

Hi Bipin,

I'm sorry to hear you've invested some time into this already but I would not trust that. Please keep in mind that receiving payments outside of Upwork is against our Terms of Service. This is called Circumvention and your account can be suspended for it. Please flag the user requesting this of you so our Trust and Safety team can review this account.

~Andrea

prestonhunter · ‎03-31-2023

Bipin:

You used Upwork incorrectly.

You need to study more, and ask questions here if you don't understand something.

You can't get paid for what you did.

You worked without a an Upwork contract.

83d39d0f · ‎03-31-2023

I've been scammed too, I did finish the project but I was not stupid enough to notice the way he act and the way he proposed to send them a 200$

ArjayM · ‎03-31-2023

Hi Joshua,

Thank you for reaching out to us and reporting this. I'm sorry to learn about this disappointing experience you had with a client. However, I've checked and can't seem to find any Communications you had on your Upwork Messages.

I would like to let you know that sharing contact information before a contract has started is against Upwork's Terms of Service and that all communications prior to the contract starting must take place on Upwork. Also, a real client will never ask you to give them money to start working, cash a check for them, work for free, or provide your personal information.

Could you please click on my name above this post and send me a private message with more information about the job you're referring to? The link to the job post would be extremely helpful.

We also encourage you to let us know if you find anything suspicious has happened by using the Flag as Inappropriate option throughout the platform. You can learn more about user reporting here. You may want to check this help article and this thread for more information on how to stay safe on Upwork.

~ Arjay

6d2c4929 · ‎03-31-2023

Hi Eveyone,

I almost have the same offer and I'm about to send the file that just finish working with. I am new to upwork and the job that I applied with was remove. I was curious with the company and came across to this post.

7dc7daef · ‎04-05-2023

That publication, I have come across it and since the response to my proposal, I had some suspicion, first, the name of the recruiter does not seem legitimate, second, immediately made an invitation to communicate by Telegram, where he asks me for personal data, hah.
I have consulted on the internet and luckily I find a blog written on September 1, 2022, on the page of the same company (The legitimate one) clarifying that their brand is subject to fraud.

Attached is the link to the blog.
And with that, it has become clear to me the intentions of the alleged bidder.

https://www.marinsoftware.com/blog/protecting-yourself-and-your-company-in-a-world-of-remote-work

the-right-writer · ‎04-06-2023

Why do new and inexperienced freelancers go off on a Google search when, if they followed the Terms of Service, there would be no question?

The intention of the "client" is to scam you. Searching online is useless and a waste of time. Follow the rules.

ee3014ad · ‎04-06-2023

The same thing just happened to me today! I am so mad

6c68cded · ‎04-09-2023

I also been scammed by them but I didn't finished the job because I found this suspicious after few conversation with the guy named

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

.

0a217129 · ‎04-13-2023

Same 100 images to type but Im smart, Im hesitant so I did not exert effort I copied the text from the image and pasted it sent the file to them the later on messaged the person in Telegram "so how much money are you going to ask from me 100 or 200? 😁" Yes with a laughing emoji 😁😁

24a5927d · ‎04-20-2023

I also was about to be scammed because they have been asking me for the Linking fee but because I was not desperate I went on to search no how and I came across this

This should be a lesson to us not to go out of Upwork.

024ef807 · ‎05-15-2023

I have also fallen to their trap. They asked for$150 when I told them that I cannot afford they start to bargain told me to give $30 dollar

e836c6b9 · ‎05-18-2023

Ive just faced the same situation

the-right-writer · ‎05-18-2023

You need to learn how to identify scams. Please read this excellent post from Wes.

paul0306 · ‎05-22-2023

They also tried to scam me. attached was the convo with them

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

sofia2008 · ‎05-22-2023

Freelancers participate in scams because they do not follow Upwork's Terms of Service. Communicating outside Upwork before a contract is in place like you did is a violation of those terms. Make sure to take the Academy courses at the top of this page to learn how to properly use the platform.

ArjayM · ‎05-22-2023

Hi Paul Angelo,

Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to our attention. I checked your account and I can't see any communications you had with a client. I wanted to reiterate Sophie's response that sharing contact information before a contract has started is against Upwork's Terms of Service and that all communications prior to the contract starting must take place on Upwork.

You may want to check this help article and this thread for more information on how to stay safe on Upwork. We also encourage you to let us know if you find anything suspicious has happened by using the Flag as Inappropriate option throughout the platform. You can learn more about user reporting here.

~ Arjay

0523d8f3 · ‎05-23-2023

yeah this happened to me as well but now learned a lesson!!