Got scammed

[#1]

I am new to Upwork and got a freelancer to work on  my project, she asked me to work with her actual freelancer profile on**Edited for community guidelines**, there she charged $500+ with 0 deliverables where the project budget is total $400. And now she isnt responding and she removed her profile here (or she just blocked me so cant see her profile). Is there anything I can do?

[#2]

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Shi C wrote:

I am new to Upwork and got a freelancer to work on  my project, she asked me to work with her actual freelancer profile on**Edited for community guidelines**, there she charged $500+ with 0 deliverables where the project budget is total $400. And now she isnt responding and she removed her profile here (or she just blocked me so cant see her profile). Is there anything I can do?

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There is not likely much that Upwork can do since you did not use the Upwork platform. You need to report this on the website that you used. 

[#3]

Since you didn't use Upwork for the contract, Upwork can't and won't do anything for you.

In addition, by going off platform, they will likely see this as an attempt to circumvent the system, and your account could be suspended as well.

[#4]

re: "Is there anything I can do?"

Actually, there IS something that you can do.

You can go to the freelancer's Upwork profile and click on the "Flag as inappropriate" link button on the top right corner or under the Three Dots icon. You can report that the freelancer asked you to pay her using another platform.

[#5]

Hi Shi,

I checked your account, but I was not able to locate a contract with this freelancer. Please know that it is a violation of Upwork TOS to pay and receive payments outside the platform. I have reported this to our team for review. 

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. You might also want to check out the information here to learn more about staying safe on Upwork.