Has anyone attempted to scam you recently with a fake job posting?

[dbramer]

Hi, I have had four "interviews" on Skype in the last two weeks that turned out to be scams. All four seemed to involve the same outfit, because the modus operandi was identical in each case. Even more obviously, two of the sessions started with them messaging me the same exact pdf form describing how to start the interview. 

I am new to Upwork. Is this normal? More importantly, what do you think of it generally speaking. I'm interested in it simply as a socio-cultural phenomenon (for lack of a better term). 

[mwiggenhorn]

When you are new, you will get scam invites.  In fact, the only invites a new person gets are probably scams.  I was here for a couple of years before I got serious invitations. Be sure that your profile doesn't indicate that you are new.

The new Terms of Service is VERY clear that you and a potential client cannot communicate in any way except on the Upwork platform. So, right off the bat, the Skype is a huge red flag. I strongly urge you to read up on all the information for new freelancers before you get yourself in a hole!

[mwiggenhorn]

Also, remove the first three lines of your profile.  Your education already shows in the education section.  When a potential client sees your profile, they initially can only see the first two or three lines before they decide whether to scroll down.  Make that valuable real estate count!

[martina_plaschka]

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David B wrote:

Hi, I have had four "interviews" on Skype in the last two weeks that turned out to be scams. All four seemed to involve the same outfit, because the modus operandi was identical in each case. Even more obviously, two of the sessions started with them messaging me the same exact pdf form describing how to start the interview. 

I am new to Upwork. Is this normal? More importantly, what do you think of it generally speaking. I'm interested in it simply as a socio-cultural phenomenon (for lack of a better term). 

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No, I've never been targeted, even when my profile was very fresh, but I mainly attribute that to not living in a country using a charmingly oldfashioned payment system like the US.

But before you make a social study out of this, focus on not getting suspended for ToS violations, and never accept checks. They are fake. 

[NikolaS]

Hi David,

Could you please click on my name and send me a PM with more information about client you are referring to? I'll be sure to escalate is to the correct team for their review.

Please note that sharing contact information before a contract has started is against Upwork’s Terms of Service and all communications prior to the contract starting must take place on Upwork. We also encourage you to let us know if a TOS violation has happened by using the “Flag as Inappropriate” option throughout the platform. You can learn more about user reporting here.