Losing Connects to Scams

[971845da]

Hello,

I'm new to Upwork and applied to at least 7 jobs that ended up being scams. I was asked to communicate through Whatsapp or Telegram. Those conversations lead to me being asked to pay for work or receive payment outside of Upwork. How do I get the lost connects back? I also flagged the job postings.

[petra_r · Accepted solution]

Flag them as inappropriate, you get your connects back eventually.

Please bear in mind that it is a serious violation of Upwork's terms of service to communicate with a prospective client outside the platform.

If you stop doing so, you not only avoid the vast majority of the scammers, you also won't get suspended for violating the terms of service.

[971845da]

Thank you, will keep that in mind from now on.

[nhansen]

You seem to indicate that you applied and were invited to interview, and replied. Even if they turned out to be scams, this means you should have gained connects simply by responding to the interview request.

[nicolarichards28]

Hi, who was it that you were talking to about a job? As this has happened to me with two different companies.  I haven't sent any deposit but I'm wary it is a scam. The fact that they arent messaging through Upwork. I had one that we started emailing but she had already put the payment though and didn't ask for a deposit that seems wrong? 

[pgiambalvo]

Total scams. Don't communicate with the, block them, flag, them, and keep reporting them here. Never buy anything for or from anyone. Read this for some tips on how to spot scams: https://community.upwork.com/t5/Community-Blog/Top-Red-Flags-for-Scams-From-Community-Member-Wes-C/b...

[neel19]

Now every job search page contains at least 4 out of 10 spam projects. They (spammers) are now using payment verified accounts to post their jobs. So, using filters doesn't help always. Recently I've reported multiple jobs which looked legit (job description, payment history, etc.) but later found out they are not. Now the problem is we are spending 4 - 6 connects on an average per project and who knows how many of them are legit. I will request the Upwork team to implement some policies immediately. Let's make Upwork a better marketplace as it was before!

[ArjayM]

Hi Debasish,

We take great measures to keep our global marketplace safe, and we’re committed to doing our best to prevent or address suspicious activity. If in case you come across suspicious job posts again, don't hesitate to report them here so we can have them reviewed and we will surely take action. Flag them as inappropriate and you will eventually get your Connects back.