Russian client **, claiming to be American (company registered in Croatia)

[larsreinton]

I have a client from Russia claiming to be American. I have confirmed information that the person / company is Russian and also abusive. Should I just block this person or is there some way I can report this person so that other no other freelancer is harmed?

[andregutierrez22]

Hi Lars,

If you see a violation of the Upwork Terms of Service, we encourage you to report it. Could you please click on my name above this post and send me a private message with more info about the account you're referring to? 

[larsreinton]

Thank you for your message, Andrea

Unfortunately I'm not able to confirm any violation on the Upwork Terms of Service. The client had disputes with other freelancers on Upwork which is the origin for the non-validated information that this client is operating from Russia.

The client hired me and then proceeded to complain when I tracked time (10 minutes work, about 3$ charge) for reading instructions regarding the work requested by the client. My opinion is that reading instructions is a vital part of any project, and the time needed for understanding instructions should naturally be compensated by the client. This client reacted with fury, making threats that felt disturbing, maybe even abusive. I've worked with people from about 100 nations. I have experienced similar exaggerated behavior over a three dollar dispute from Russians, no other nationalities. Linguistically the mistakes and errors in the English language used by the client resembles the English a Russian person would learn in school.

As I mentioned in my post my concern is to protect other freelancers from abuse. I'm not into cancelling someone for being Russian, but I would apreciate to keep Upwork a just place with as little abuse as possible.

[egaruth · Accepted solution]

Hi Lars,

Thank you for following up. I would like to let you know that you can report messages by flagging them or by sending information to our team members via a support ticket or private message. Please note that because of security and privacy concerns, we will not be able to share the results or findings of our investigations with you. We take all reports seriously, and we will take action as provided for in our Terms of Service. You can find more information in this help article.