Help With Potential Scam

[naman108]

Hello, 

I've just gotten my first job on Upwork. The client wants me to register for an account on Oracle Cloud Free Tier, and set up a WordPress website. This would be fine except that Oracle Cloud Free Tier requires a credit card on file for registration so I can't complete the account setup without the client either

A) giving me their credit card information (which I'm definitely not going to ask for)

B) they finish the account setup themselves and enter the credit card details at which point I can set up the WordPress website.

The problem is part of the terms of the proposal was to create the account. Given this is my first Job I can't get a bad review but I'm also not going to configure my credit card on an account for someone else, what should I do?

[grendon · Accepted solution]

Ok, in hindsight, you should've discussed that particular part of the terms before accepting the contract. 

You need to explain to the client that the platform needs a credit card and you can't put your own since eventually they will be the users of the account. Best you can do is, in a zoom session, guide them through the process of setting up the account so they can put themselves the financial information. 

[lysis10]

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Gustavo R wrote:

Ok, in hindsight, you should've discussed that particular part of the terms before accepting the contract. 

You need to explain to the client that the platform needs a credit card and you can't put your own since eventually they will be the users of the account. Best you can do is, in a zoom session, guide them through the process of setting up the account so they can put themselves the financial information. 

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There's no point in this. It's a scam. He'll use his CC, they'll take over the account, and then use it for illegal purposes. OP is right to call it a scam.

OP, get the client banned (report him) so the job will just drop.

[grendon]

Yeah. Maybe a scam. Maybe it isn't. The client isn't asking him to put his CC info. They just asked him to setup the cloud service. 

I've had this exact situation before. A client needed an account for a cloud service, so I could setup their servers, but they had no idea how to do it. So, in a zoom meeting I walked them through the process. Client was happy and I was happier.  

[lysis10]

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Gustavo R wrote:

Yeah. Maybe a scam. Maybe it isn't. The client isn't asking him to put his CC info. They just asked him to setup the cloud service. 

I've had this exact situation before. A client needed an account for a cloud service, so I could setup their servers, but they had no idea how to do it. So, in a zoom meeting I walked them through the process. Client was happy and I was happier.  

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No, **Edited for Community Guidelines** it's a scam. I've already had fun with  these people before. The goal is to get you to create an account so that they can take it over and use it for phishing using your money. It's a really cute and precious attempt and I want to give you a nice little participation aware for your attempt, but you are wrong. 

[prestonhunter]

You can do this without providing your credit card.

Do not provide your credit card!

Go ahead and ask for the client's credit card info.

Or use screen sharing.

You can walk them through the credit card step on their screen. It they can do it on your screen and they can type on the credit card.

This is normal stuff... setting up an account for a client but not providing YOUR credit card.

[lysis10]

Guys. Come on. Knock knock, this is a scam. Come on people. It's ok to just call it what it is instead of beating around the bush and making the OP worry that he's doing something wrong.

[prestonhunter]

That's fine.

This SPECIFIC situation for this original poster may indeed be a scam.

But having said that:
It is a normal thing for clients to hire freelancers to help set up accounts that require credit cards.

I have been hired to do this myself.

This should be done using an HOURLY contract.

Most of the time it is not too complicated to provide credit card information... Usually simple enough that a freelancer can provide instructions to the client. Or, as a few of us said, use screen sharing to walk a client through the procedure.