Potential clients trying to contact off the Upwork platform

[chelsea_wallace]

Every potential client that has responded to me insists I either give them my email address, or will have me download another app to communicate with them. Upwork terms and conditions does not allow communication off the platform. On top of that, I do not get an invitation to interview from the client. I mention this to the client and they insist that the interview is on record because we are chatting within Upwork.

Has anyone else had this issue with potential clients not wanting to stay on the platform?

[BojanS]

Hi Chelsea,

Thanks for your question. Let them know that sharing contact information before a contract has started is against Upwork’s Terms of Service and that all communications prior to the contract starting must take place on Upwork. We also encourage you to let us know if a TOS violation has happened by using the “Flag as Inappropriate” option throughout the platform. You can learn more about user reporting here.

[chelsea_wallace]

I let them know that requesting information is against the TOS. Some reply by saying they have had no complaints or respond with an attitude. I then withdraw the proposal with an explanation of my experience. I haven’t had one potential client that has not requested some sort of contact information and it seems like every client that responds to my proposals are scammers.

[NikolaS]

Hi Chelsea,

You may want to check this post for more tips on how to avoid questionable jobs. Additionally, feel free to check Upwork's Events and Webinar page for tips to improve your success.