Is this site even legitimate?

[smarchese410]

So far, I've run into scams.  Is this even legitimate?  Why aren't they screening these **edited for Community Guidelines** more closely?

[prestonhunter]

Sarah:

As for the site (Upwork) being legitimate? Yes, it is.

Regarding scammers?

You live in the U.S., and you are an entry-level newbie.

So you are the prime target for scammers.

Scammers never bother me, because I'm an experienced Upwork user. If you continue using the site, scammers will stop bothering you as well, because they'll know there's no money in it.

Why doesn't Upwork screen out the scammers? They do their best. But there is so much legitimate business being done here, and so much money beiong made here, that it attracts many scammers.

[prestonhunter]

And for the record, Upwork does not actually claim to screen clients.

But if you find a scammer - acting as a client, or a freelancer - you can report her and Upwork will investigate and remove the person from the platform.

[msublette]

Definitely legit. I’ve maybe gotten one scam? Maybe two. But I landed a job pretty quickly, got my rising talent badge and raised my rates. Scammers don’t bother people with higher rates and more jobs. I basically have a rule that if I get an invite that has more than 5 other invitees I just ignore it. At first, I also only worked for US residents. For the most part, my clients want to talk to me on the phone or through a paid conference call system like Zoom, so anyone wanting to chat outside of the Upwork message system on something that isn’t a paid app or site, is a red flag for me. Even if my clients use Skype, they almost all use the paid version of Skype for Business. There’s just no reason I’ve found for someone to ask you to interview outside of Upwork on IM free platform. So run from those people.

[AveryO]

Hi Sarah, 

I'm sorry to learn about your experience on Upwork. We have dedicated teams and systems in place to identify clients, and/or freelancers who use the website to scam other users. Sometimes there is no evidence of violation in the job post, invitation, or messages. In cases like these we rely on our community of users to flag these posts, and/or users, or directly report it through a ticket and attach relevant screenshots of a Skype chat or email as evidence. 

I would recommend that you read up on these freelancer resources and these tips for avoiding questionable jobs, for help getting started, and for more information about working safely through Upwork.

[martina_plaschka]

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Sarah M wrote:

So far, I've run into scams.  Is this even legitimate?  Why aren't they screening these **edited for Community Guidelines** more closely?

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Because the first time a scammer reveals himself as a scammer is when he makes contact with his mark. Otherwise he could very well be a legitimate client. You might want to stay away from people with a very low hiring rate, and all unsolicited invitations you receive. Very few serious clients will search for freelancers without any history, except to pay very little (still legitimate, they know how desperate people get for that first job) or outright scam people.