Sep 1, 2022 11:39:09 AM Edited Sep 1, 2022 12:37:54 PM by Arjay M
Hi All!
Has anyone encountered receiving anything like this before? I sent three proposals about an hour or two ago. And then I found this on my Gmail spam. Definitely, I won't engage in this conversation as how weird it would be to be asked a photo of myself in my underwear?? But also I am curious how they got my email address. Or am I missing something here?
**Edited for Community Guidelines**
Sep 1, 2022 12:33:22 PM Edited Sep 1, 2022 12:34:17 PM by Mykola A
This one have your eml\name, so data leaked for sure, it is not a cold spam.
No reason for full body photo request, unless a some sexsual context ol model bussines.
It look like spam but you need to investigate where spamer get your info. Maybe you postet CV or share data in other way.
Sep 1, 2022 01:02:22 PM by Arjay M
Hi Kathryn,
I'm sorry to hear about this unpleasant experience and we appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention. I have checked your account and all of your recently submitted proposals. However, I can't seem to find the job post that may be associated with the email you've received. Could you please click on my name above this post and send me a private message with more information about this job so that we can have it reviewed?
Sep 3, 2022 07:17:01 AM by Kathryn J
Hi Arjay,
I can't seem to find how I can send you a private message.
Anyway, I also tried to check which job post it could possibly come from. I realized I only sent two proposals during the time that I received the email, to which I sent my CV to one of those proposals.
Sep 3, 2022 07:22:12 AM by Martina P
Did you CV contain contact information? This is not allowed, take it out.
Sep 3, 2022 10:37:58 AM by Kathryn J
Yes, unfortunately. They got my CV already and I don't think I can still retrieve it without them not knowing my information. 😞 I actually think I found the client already who's behind this.
Sep 3, 2022 11:47:27 AM by Antun M
Kathryn J wrote:Yes, unfortunately. They got my CV already and I don't think I can still retrieve it without them not knowing my information. 😞 I actually think I found the client already who's behind this.
Think that Martina P meant for future purposes.
In future, don't send CV containing contact information. Send your edited CV.
Sep 3, 2022 12:23:00 PM by Jeanne H
To contact Arjay, click on his name in his post. A new screen will open. A button at the far right says "send a message." Then click on it and send your message.
Sep 3, 2022 01:17:37 PM by Jeanne H
Sexwork is not allowed on Upwork. I have encountered similar "jobs." There are sexting/photo "jobs" failry often. I even saw one for a "virtual sex slave." Never send anyone photos or personal information. There are specific cases where you might need to model initmate apparel, but not like this ad. Flag the ad because it is against the TOS.
If you don't have your email in your profile (you should not) and you didn't include it in the
information you sent, do you have an online presence? Website, Linkedin, etc? If not, you might check all online information to make sure there is no way strangers can find your private email. That being said, Gmail is not the most secure of programs; however, I doubt they resorted to hacking, but it's possible.
They can't do much with your email address, but I would change the password immediately. Try not to worry, because they wanted you to become involved in something nefarious. When you didn't become a victim, they lost interest.
Sep 3, 2022 02:18:46 PM by Kathryn J
Hi Jeanne, thanks for the info. I did try to pry information from them to find out where they got my email address. And my guess was right because I only sent my CV to one proposal. (I'll make sure I won't send my CV with contact details anymore!)
The person also sent me a screenshot of my proposal so I found out who they are. Should I flag their post? I'm worried that they would know that I had reported them.
They are verified and have had few freelancers worked for them already. Sad that there are people who work like this!
Sep 3, 2022 02:35:37 PM by Antun M
Kathryn J wrote:Hi Jeanne, thanks for the info. I did try to pry information from them to find out where they got my email address. And my guess was right because I only sent my CV to one proposal. (I'll make sure I won't send my CV with contact details anymore!)
The person also sent me a screenshot of my proposal so I found out who they are. Should I flag their post? I'm worried that they would know that I had reported them.
They are verified and have had few freelancers worked for them already. Sad that there are people who work like this!
Flagging is anonymous.
Even if it weren't, try not to have worrisome thoughts when you aren't doing anything wrong!
Sep 3, 2022 03:12:15 PM Edited Sep 3, 2022 03:15:22 PM by Jeanne H
It seems you are in contact with Customer Support, so they will pursue the matter. I would send them any documentation you have that you feel might be relevant, including the screenshot. As Antun said, they will never know you reported them. The clients are probably not concerned because they will just come back with another alias.
The client violated the TOS by contacting you outside of Upwork and Upwork will have to sort out how many violations there were with the rest of their requests. If the information is accurate, the client should be suspended.
The screenshot may not actually tell you who they really are. These scammers never use anything that can identify them but on the other hand, these thieves are not the brightest crayons in their local box, so perhaps they made a mistake.
There are good and bad everywhere, and Upwork is no exception. You are dealing with random strangers just like if you were in a chat room. You have no way of knowing if a single thing they say is true. That's why it's so critical to examine everything about the job and the client. And don't forget to listen to your intuition - if it seems too good to be true, off, strange, or weird in any way, watch those red flags. They are there in almost all scams. Flag any jobs you see that seem wrong.
And don't worry about them having your CV, they wanted something else from you.
It is sad, infuriating, and sickening, but there are also excellent clients. I can't say I have loved working with all of my clients, but I have worked with some great folks, and I have never been scammed.