Solved: Fake Client! Need your help!

scott254 · ‎07-12-2021

I received an invitation from a certain client from United State. After accepting his invitation, this sent me an offer, it was flutter mobile and website development. He requested my Skype Id, which I sent him. Now we discussed the project and then he quested for a favor, He told me that he has a certain friend here in Kenya who has an emergency and need some funds urgently, so he sent me a bonus of $950 and another bonus of $950 he told me to send direct funds to a certain number he gave me then I will withdraw the bonus after the 5-security days. I did as he requested me. The funds were supposed to be available yesterday on Sunday only to realize that my Financial account has been limited. The bonus that was pending has been reversed. Now I don't know what to do and yet I had sent the money to the number this client told me. This client has disappeared from skype and he is not replying to my Upwork messages that I request him to tell the person to send my money back. I realized that this client is using fake location address, he is not from US.

I am waiting for the Upwork support team to do it's investigation and help me. I d

Thanks

Scott

tlbp · ‎07-12-2021

Did the first $950 he paid you actually clear and were you able to withdraw it?

So you ended up losing all the money he paid you or just part of it?

(A scam either way)

I am going to share the traps, not to criticize but to educate:

Bonuses are considered a gift from the client. They can be given or taken at the clients' discretion. So, if you accept bonuses as your only form of payment, you can end up with no payment. Upwork will not interfere.
Never, ever send money to a client or for a client. Even if you were to receive the promised payment from the client, you might still be engaging in money laundering. You could end up in jail.

View solution in original post

tlbp · ‎07-12-2021

Did the first $950 he paid you actually clear and were you able to withdraw it?

So you ended up losing all the money he paid you or just part of it?

(A scam either way)

I am going to share the traps, not to criticize but to educate:

Bonuses are considered a gift from the client. They can be given or taken at the clients' discretion. So, if you accept bonuses as your only form of payment, you can end up with no payment. Upwork will not interfere.
Never, ever send money to a client or for a client. Even if you were to receive the promised payment from the client, you might still be engaging in money laundering. You could end up in jail.

tlbp · ‎07-12-2021

n/m

scott254 · ‎07-12-2021

You've really thought me a lot. I don't have much experience with Upwork since I'm 1-year old. I didn't know that some Clients are not real.

Thanks for this great information, now I'll contact the authorities my your jurisdiction to take action on this client.

Thanks!

Scott

a_lipsey · ‎07-12-2021

Joseph M wrote:
You've really thought me a lot. I don't have much experience with Upwork since I'm 1-year old. I didn't know that some Clients are not real.
Thanks for this great information, now I'll contact the authorities my your jurisdiction to take action on this client.

Thanks!

Who is Scott?

scott254 · ‎08-06-2021

Scott is my another name

Scott

prestonhunter · ‎08-06-2021

re: "now I'll contact the authorities in my jurisdiction to take action on this client."

I'm sorry that you had a bad experience. But I don't think any external authorities will be able to help you.

I believe that you should deal with this on Upwork, with Upwork Support personnel. (I don't know if they can help you, either. But they're more likely to actually do anything than anyone else is.)

scott254 · ‎07-12-2021

Yes he paid as the bonus but before the 5-security days reached I found a notification that My financial account has been limited and today the bonus that was pending has been reversed so I did receive anything from the client.

Scott

BojanS · ‎07-12-2021

Hi Joseph,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience! It looks like you have an open ticket with our support team about this concern. I’ll go ahead and follow up with the team handling your case and you can expect to receive an update on your ticket as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience.

~ Bojan

a_onyekaba · ‎08-06-2021

Hello Bojan
I am in a very similar situation as Joseph right now and I wish I had seen this before falling into the same trap.
I have an opened ticket
https://support.upwork.com/hc/requests/32288863
I'm lost and now sure what is happening.
Please what is the way out of this mess?

Regards,
Anastestia

JoanneP · ‎08-06-2021

Hi Anastestia,

I can see that your concern is already being handled by the appropriate team. You can be sure that one of our agents will update your ticket to assist you further.

~ Joanne

feed_my_eyes · ‎07-12-2021

The client's lack of a U.S. location should be the least of your worries. People don't just give you money for doing nothing. If something sounds too good to be true, that's probably because it's a scam. Did it even occur to you to ask this person why he couldn't send money to his friend in Kenya himself? Why would he need you to do it?

martina_plaschka · ‎08-06-2021

Christine A wrote:
The client's lack of a U.S. location should be the least of your worries. People don't just give you money for doing nothing. If something sounds too good to be true, that's probably because it's a scam. Did it even occur to you to ask this person why he couldn't send money to his friend in Kenya himself? Why would he need you to do it?

Frankly, I don't know how one can miss all the red flags. This screams scam louder than a tornado in Kansas. Sigh....

prestonhunter · ‎08-06-2021

re: "Frankly, I don't know how one can miss all the red flags."

I get where you're coming from.

But if you really don't understand how someone can miss all those red flags... it is because you are too experienced at this point to relate to the original poster's position.

There are many things that experienced freelancers simply may not be able to remember or relate to. But lots of people fall for these scams.

One thing you need to remember about these scammers: this is their job. Some are newbies. But many are experienced, smooth, and very good at what they do.

This particular scam is a tricky one. Very appealing. Very convincing. Very effective.

I appreciate the original poster's time spent describing his first hand experience with this scam. This sort of thread greatly benefits others.

martina_plaschka · ‎08-07-2021

Preston H wrote:
re: "Frankly, I don't know how one can miss all the red flags."

I get where you're coming from.

But if you really don't understand how someone can miss all those red flags... it is because you are too experienced at this point to relate to the original poster's position.

There are many things that experienced freelancers simply may not be able to remember or relate to. But lots of people fall for these scams.

One thing you need to remember about these scammers: this is their job. Some are newbies. But many are experienced, smooth, and very good at what they do.

This particular scam is a tricky one. Very appealing. Very convincing. Very effective.

I appreciate the original poster's time spent describing his first hand experience with this scam. This sort of thread greatly benefits others.

Preston, if somebody asked me to send money to somebody else who for some reason he can't send the money himself, I would not have fallen for this even at 5 years old. Let me list the red flags:

1. Why can't client send the money himself?

2. Is there a legal reason for this, which the freelancer would violate by doing this?

3. Is this money laundering?

Upwork related:

1. Is this a real job common on upwork?

2. Is bonus money safe?

3. Is it against upwork ToS to do something like that?

If OP and others had asked themselves only one of these questions, researched forum posts, they would never have done it. Simply not communicating outside of upwork before hire would have also done the trick.

tlbp · ‎08-07-2021

Martina P wrote:
Christine A wrote:
The client's lack of a U.S. location should be the least of your worries. People don't just give you money for doing nothing. If something sounds too good to be true, that's probably because it's a scam. Did it even occur to you to ask this person why he couldn't send money to his friend in Kenya himself? Why would he need you to do it?

Frankly, I don't know how one can miss all the red flags. This screams scam louder than a tornado in Kansas. Sigh....

Cons work because the scammers know how to choose their targets and work their targets. Scammers are dedicated to their craft and wield their skills well.

dsmgdesign · ‎08-07-2021

Joseph M wrote:

He told me that he has a certain friend here in Kenya who has an emergency and need some funds urgently, so he sent me a bonus of $950 and another bonus of $950 he told me to send direct funds to a certain number he gave me....

STOP! Stop right there. Did you not see the red flag? This is the oldest con around, and it isn't exclusive to Upwork, not by a long shot. Tonya is right, you never send money to a client off Upwork....EVER. The only time you can send money to a client is if they already paid you first, then you can refund any portion of what they just paid you through the Upwork platform.

prestonhunter · ‎08-07-2021

Remember: The word "con" in the term "con game" is short for "confidence."

Why do smart, sophisticated women fall in love with scoundrels?

Why do intelligent, successul people (such as director Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Weisel, who all fell for Bernie Madoff's scam) fall for con games?

At the heart of the art of the con is a human element that is not something that can be reduced to logic and numbers.

I said that this is their job. But another truth is this: A lot of con artists aren't even in it for the money: They're in it for the thrill of the game.

martina_plaschka · ‎08-07-2021

Preston H wrote:
Remember: The word "con" in the term "con game" is short for "confidence."

Why do smart, sophisticated women fall in love with scoundrels?
Why do intelligent, successul people (such as director Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Weisel, who all fell for Bernie Madoff's scam) fall for con games?
At the heart of the art of the con is a human element that is not something that can be reduced to logic and numbers.

I said that this is their job. But another truth is this: A lot of con artists aren't even in it for the money: They're in it for the thrill of the game.

These are good points. They exploit either a vulnerability - in the case of romance scams it's the loneliness, and being made feeling special. Oh, true love does exist and all the Hollywood movies have not been lying! It's all true! In the case of Madoff, IMO, it's arrogance and entitlement - oh, of course this is a special opportunity that only special people have access to, of course I get the huge returns that the normal people will never get.

So what could it be in a case like this, what could make a person disregard any red flag that might pop up? I'm guessing greed, the hope for easy money. Can't really think of another motivation.

petra_r · ‎08-07-2021

Martina P wrote:
So what could it be in a case like this, what could make a person disregard any red flag that might pop up?

You know the old German saying "Gier frisst Hirn"?

That.

(It translates as "Greed eats brains")