PSA: Upwork Community - Direct Message Phishing Scam

[25005175]

Everyone, this is a reminder that Upwork will NEVER contact you for financial information through any method that is not an official email or in response to an official support ticket.

I just received a very official-looking personal/direct message from a user that had "Upwork" in their name. The user's community account was made 2022-12-28 (today). In this phishing attempt, they:

1. told me that I owed $632 in recruiter fees (which does not exist, even for Enterprise clients);
2. threatened to suspend my account;
3. referenced official Upwork articles to fake credibility;
4. included a hyperlink to a telephone number that masquerades as a Support Ticket ID;
5. directed me to pay via a link that resembles an Upwork contract URL;
6. directed me to access a security code by clicking on a phishing link to a "tempail.com/..." URL;
7. stated that they occasionally make mistakes, and to appeal by responding to the thread; and
8. signed off as "Upwork Accounts Department"

If ever you are concerned by such a scam, simply verify the falsity of the claim by checking your balance in the Settings of your account. NEVER click any link in any message to "check" your balance.

Whenever you see such a phishing in your personal messages, click on the message's triple-dot button to report the message to the Community moderators.

[bilal1983]

They are getting better and more creative. Thanks for sharing. This looks legit-ish.

[b642e116]

Hi,

I received an email that declared 

‘Please be informed that an outstanding balance of $632 is reflected in your Upwork account. This is a result of the accumulated debt caused by recruiter fees on all your job contracts.

If you have an outstanding balance, a temporary restriction may be placed on your account until the balance is cleared.’

I need to know why I am forced to pay this amount to the freelancer “Peter Hansen”. I am sure this is a mistake. Kindly explain the mail in more detail.

Regards, 

Tantawi.

[NikolaS]

Hi Mohamed,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Could you please click on my name and send me a PM with more information about the email you are referring to? Please share a screenshot of the email so that I can look into this further and assist you accordingly. 

[smiller7]

Hi Nikola, I received pretty much the same email. I never worked with a recruiter, so I'm wondering if it's a mistake or a scam, but would love to check with you. 

[ArjayM]

Hi Seth,

Arjay here stepping in for Nikola. Could you please click on my name above this post and send me a private message with more information about the email you're referring to? The screenshot of that email would be extremely helpful. Looking forward to your response.

[25005175]

PSA: Upwork Community - Direct Message Phishing Scam 

[ArjayM]

Hi Jonathan and Valued Members,

We truly appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention. I have escalated this to the appropriate team for further review. Rest assured that we'll take a closer look at your reports and take action accordingly if necessary. We seek your patience and utmost understanding while sorting this out for you. Thank you!

[martina_plaschka]

Are you not allowed to say that this is clearly a fraud?

[25005175]

Mods, since the fraudsters behind this and similar phishing attacks (Top Rated Minimum Balance Requirement) won't be stopped (only delayed), I strongly suggest that Upwork disseminate a mass email that cautions freelancers about this and similar scams. Maybe make it a recurring Trust & Safety message.

[PradeepH]

Hi Jonathan,

Thank you for your message. I can confirm that we have already taken action on the reported user for TOS violation. Feel free to the 'Flag as an Inappropriate' or 'Notify Moderator' option throughout the platform if you see similar posts.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[the-right-writer]

Unfortunately, who will bother to read this? Many don't seem to read anything.

[AveryO]

Hi Jeanne, 

The thread was originally posted on 28 December, and we did flag this to the team, as confirmed by Pradeep here and Arjay here. As Jonathan pointed out here, Val has discussed this in detail here. 

[the-right-writer]

You misunderstood/ I wasn't clear. I meant the freelancers, not the moderaors.

[25005175]

I added the solution message so that anybody who sees the thread may receive the impression that there is an official resolution that they can review. It also helps with the search function, since results can be filtered by "Solved" status.

[jeremiah-brown]

The only thing I get in my inbox is solicitations from other freelancers for work I don't need performed.

[25005175 · Accepted solution]

All, please use this link to access Upwork's official statement regarding phishing messages: Follow up about Community Private Messages by Valeria K.