I was scammed

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-16-2021

I recently gave proposal for job. Although it was $5 work. The client offered me the contract and I forgot to accept it. I sent the files on chat just to make sure client is satisfied and if any revision is needed i would do it. I need her the files and suddenly she blocked me and withdrew offer. It was my mistake that I forgot to accept the offer
I have screenshot of all the chat and how she blocked me what should I do. I know her full name. I did some digging and found her facebook and linkedin account.

What should I do

prestonhunter · ‎03-16-2021

Let this go.

Do not contact the client.

It is a violation of Upwork ToS for you to look up a client and contact her outside of the platform.

You used Upwork incorrectly. You should accept that this is your mistake.

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-16-2021

why should I let this go away

client literally scammed me and you are saying I can't do anything

what if the amount was $500

I will contact her outsite community and take back my money. I put my hour into it. She took the work and scammed me and her account should be banned

prestonhunter · ‎03-17-2021

You are saying you are going to violate TOS.

The client sent you a valid hire offer.

You decided to not accept the offer.

The client did not break any rules.

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-17-2021

Mr Preston,
Kindly read what I have written. I forgot to accept the offer. As soon as I delivered the work. She blocked me and withdrew the contract. Why did she blocked me? It means she cheated or if not why she didn't talked to me in message.
It's such disgusting that upwork can't take any action against such client and protect the freelancer. I gave upwork $1 for every $5 and what I get in return is nothing. Infact, I am being threatened to get blocked. What a joke this is.

kinector · ‎03-17-2021

Muhammad, it really doesn't matter what you intended to do. It only matters what you did.

Did you have a contract? If no, you get nothing. That's how the system works. If yes, you might get your money. No point complaining to anyone about it. Even legally speaking, I don't think Upwork can do anything for you even if they wanted to. You didn't have a contract. Nobody can or will help you. Take responsibility of your (lack of) actions and act accordingly. You did stuff for free for some reason. Willingly.

You seem like a capable guy (sorry, I cannot see your profile here), so why on earth would you accept a $5 project in the first place?

You know your stuff, you get things done. Why risk spending your time on a petty little thing like this? You can always make more money but the time is lost forever.

If fighting about five bucks is important to you, I suspect you might not make it out here.

Aim higher, my friend. You're better than this. For sure. Good luck!

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-17-2021

Mikko, My lack of action doesn't mean I have to loose my money. That where upwork should come up and look into the matter. Many cases only need just a look to get things solved and know who was at fault. If I am scammed today and tomorrow some new freelancer will be scammed by such client. These kind of clients needed to banned and same goes for freelancers. For some of us even $5 is worth cause I invested my time on it. I want to grow on upwork and I only did 10 jobs so far so that makes every job important for me either it's $5 or $500. I won't loose my money cause of some client scamming

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-17-2021

I did client work but forgot to accept the offer. The client got her work thorugh chat and withdrew the offer and blocked me. I have all the chat in which I gave her the work. It also includes contract offer and me being blocked

AleksandarD · ‎03-17-2021

Hi Muhammad,

I'm sorry to hear about what happened. As you didn't accept the offer and there is no contract, you can't get paid for the work you did. Unfunded contracts/milestones or promised funds are not protected under the Upwork Payment Protection.

Please know that it is against Upwork’s Terms of Service to use information discovered on Upwork to identify and make unsolicited contact with another Upwork user outside of Upwork. You can check this help article for more information.

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar

yasnolian · ‎03-17-2021

Dear Aleksandar,

I have a similar story as the one from Muhammad. My story is, I have responded to a project and chatted with the client on messages, I sent samples and he asked me to forward the rest of the files on his personal mail (gmail) via google drive, after submitting all the work he said he was going to reveet back and never did. Is there anything I can do about this or not ?

Regards,

Lionel

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-17-2021

Hi Lionel,
It sad cause you can't do anything about it and even bigger saddest part is upwork won't help. Upwork after deducting charges in the name of service fee won't provide anything like service when freelancer face any trouble. Then you have upwork moderators who tell you to let the matter go away and you won't get any help nor your hard earned money.
I didn't got any help from upwork or moderator but I got my hard earn money from client on my own.

petra_r · ‎03-17-2021

Muhammad W wrote:
I got my hard earn money from client on my own.

Oh really? How did you do that?

dataextract · ‎03-17-2021

Muhammad,

Because of you are not following the rules how Upwork operates, Upwork lost its $1 service fee.

petra_r · ‎03-17-2021

Ramesh K wrote:
Because of you are not following the rules how Upwork operates, Upwork lost its $1 service fee.

And Muhammad is en route to losing his Upwork account.

But hey, he got $5

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-17-2021

I didn't violated any rules. If you have any evidence then prove it. I really hope moderators here instead of blackmailing use their capacity to guide freelancer and give solution.

petra_r · ‎03-17-2021

Muhammad W wrote:
I didn't violated any rules. If you have any evidence then prove it.

You provided the evidence yourself....

Muhammad W wrote:
I got my hard earn money from client on my own.

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-17-2021

Wow you made up whole story yourself. Where I wrote I was paid outside upwork. Maybe, I was paid on upwork platform. I didn't stated anything.

Kindly use such effort in solving freelancers problem

petra_r · ‎03-17-2021

Muhammad W wrote:
Where I wrote I was paid outside upwork. Maybe, I was paid on upwork platform.

That's fine, it'll be on your profile then, won't it?

As you never had a contract, the client can't have paid you via Upwork without creating a contract and hiring you, and that would show on your profile.

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-17-2021

go on check it.
Put such kind of interest in solving freelancers problem rather than scolding

petra_r · ‎03-17-2021

Lionel N wrote:
Is there anything I can do about this or not ?

No, there isn't and you have now additionally admitted to violating Upwork's terms of service by communicating with the prospective client before a contract was in place.

waqasfreelancer1 · ‎03-17-2021

I didn't violated anything and good luck with that. And, hopefully you will put more effort in helping freelancers