First Client Interview resulted in potential scamming

[434f8f56]

I am feeling frustrated that I was interviewing with a client that was trying to scam me.  At the end of the interview, they wanted to make me an employee and wanted to know which bank I used for payroll.  

I felt excited that I was going to be paid what I was worth, and now I feel frustrated that they wasted my time.  Thankfully, Upwork closed their job before the interview was over, so I had confirmation that it was a scam.

As a newer freelancer, how do I make sure I dont get solicited like this again?  I took screenshots to show their Skype ID's.

Thanks!

RKM

[prestonhunter]

re: "At the end of the interview, they wanted to make me an employee and wanted to know which bank I used for payroll."

You mean that they SAID they wanted to make you an employee.

You already realize that they were not actually planning to hire you. They just wanted to steal your money.

If it makes you feel any better, you will soon be able to recognize scams like this within seconds, and you can avoid wasting time with those people.

Furthermore, once you gain experience, they will leave you alone. Experienced freelancers such as myself are rarely or never contacted by scammers. The only time I ever encounter scammers is when I read about them in the Forum.

re: "As a newer freelancer, how do I make sure I dont get solicited like this again?"

Gain experience. Complete jobs.
The more jobs you have completed and the more hours that appear on your profile page, the less likely it is that you will receive invitations from scammers.

[feed_my_eyes]

It's against the TOS to accept payments off of Upwork, so there's no reason for you to ever give a client your bank details. 

[bundie702 · Accepted solution]

Upwork freelancers are paid through Upwork, which is not an employment agency. The minute someone tells you they want to hire you as an employee, terminate contact with them.

I wish I could give you better news, but the fact is that new freelancers are usually the ones targeted by scammers. I've been on the platform for several years, have completed dozens of jobs and just last week received a request for me to sign onto Google Hangouts for an interview (another red flag), and also offers for jobs I never applied to (these aren't necessarily scams, but I haven't seen one yet that had terms acceptable to me; I think the people might hope the freelancers are desperate enough to accept a job requiring 10 hours of work for $50). 

Keep trying to get clients, and good luck to you.