Possible Scam?

[cowan_heidi]

I had applied to a job posting and I don't know to check if they are legitimate or not. On Upwork, their posting seems normal. "Looking for a proofreader who is..." and I applied. They sent me a message for an interview over on Skype and after passing the interview they are saying they are going to send me a check to buy "official equipment from a local company vendor". They are asking for my bank and I don't think this is normal. 

[battershall-ramo]

I would have a header along the lines of 'URGENT, A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR YOU - DO NOT DELETE!!!!!  - that way they would know that it is a serious email that should not be ignored. 

[moonraker]

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Ramon B wrote:

I would have a header along the lines of 'URGENT, A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR YOU - DO NOT DELETE!!!!!  - that way they would know that it is a serious email that should not be ignored. 

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Sounds exactly like the kind of thing that should be deleted. 

[martina_plaschka]

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Ramon B wrote:

I would have a header along the lines of 'URGENT, A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR YOU - DO NOT DELETE!!!!!  - that way they would know that it is a serious email that should not be ignored. 

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Are you kidding? Why would they read that? 

My theory is, the only way they would listen is if somebody grabbed them from their screen and screamed at them. I hope they have that functionality soon. 

[jeremiah-brown]

text

[roberty1y]

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Jeremiah, I see you've removed your post, so I won't quote it. But I don't see how you can fail to be paid if you start a contract and then either get paid hourly or set milestones which are funded before you start work. You get paid even if the client doesn't release the money. The only way you don't get paid is if the client was using a stolen credit card or was otherwise using a payment method that was not theirs. This is rare.

[jeremiah-brown]

They were using a card with no money in the account.  When Upwork went to bill, the funds weren't there and the money that should have been paid to me was clawed back.  Because of bouncing the account, the client account was suspended.  When Upwork told them it was because they had bounced their payments, they simply refused to correct the issue leaving myself and Upwork holding the bag.

To Upwork, it was probably a drop in the bucket.  To me, it was several days worth of income.  I didn't get any help to fix the issue so I decided to ask about sending a collection notice to the business address.  When I called and asked Upwork if I could do this, they hit me with disproportionate sanctions.

[AndreaG]

Jason and others,

Sharing names of individuals and companies as well as publicly identifying specific profiles and job posts in an accusation of misconduct isn't allowed in this Community for privacy and security reasons. That doesn't mean that we don't take trust and safety on the platform seriously. We certainly do. And we have dedicated tools, processes, and teams to report, detect, and action job postings and accounts that may be in violation of Upwork TOS. I encourage you to also check out Valeria's comment here for more information. 

[jeremiah-brown]

If your comment is directed at me, say it.  I don't do vague subtleties.

Thanks!

[petra_r]

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Jeremiah B wrote:

They were using a card with no money in the account.  When Upwork went to bill, the funds weren't there and the money that should have been paid to me was clawed back. .

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So was it an hourly contract and you used manual time (or not followed the terms of the hourly protection some other way)?

Otherwise you'd have been protected.

[jeremiah-brown]

Petra, it can be whatever you want it to be.  I am not going to have someone tell me I am to blame for a deadbeat client.  Hourly protection or not, not paying for services rendered is wrong.

[petra_r]

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Jeremiah B wrote:

I am not going to have someone tell me I am to blame for a deadbeat client.  Hourly protection or not, not paying for services rendered is wrong.

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I wasn't blaming you for your client's failure to pay you. 

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Jeremiah B wrote: Hourly protection or not, not paying for services rendered is wrong.

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Absolutely, I completely agree. That makes Upwork's hourly protection so valuable, because it means that when a deadbeat client defaults on payment, you can get paid anyway, provided you tracked your time according to the terms.

[jeremiah-brown]

Yes, I wish it would have been on the hourly protection app.  Unfortunately, a lot of the work I do isn't always on the computer.  Some jobs require me to fabricate items in the shop, some require 3D printing, and some require physical testing.  For these jobs, I was logging manual time.

Since going through this mess, I now just run the app and make notes stating what I am doing off screen (printing, assembling, testing, etc).  That way the time is logged, but the lack of keystrokes and mouse clicks, is accounted for.

[jeremiah-brown]

But part of the bigger issue is the popular stock option scam I see all the time - offering to settle up in stock because they don't have the funds to pay.  I believe that was the point all along.  Researching the corporation, its business filings, and some other things quickly exposed the corporation as something being ran out of a bedroom at their parents house.  

And I did get paid.