SCAM / Fishy Projects on Upwork

[work247]

Hi, 

I have noticed some projects posted on Upwork with their email.  The client asked to communicate on that email for further discussion.  I have tried that but in response, they are asking for a USA person's name and address to send payment via check.   There were similar projects like this and got the same response from clients and find out that it was a scam.  

Attached here are some screenshots so that upwork can take care of these types of clients.  
Maybe upwork can improve some crosscheck on client-side before they post any projects.  Maybe a bug somewhere in the system. 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[petra_r]

You can flag any such job posts as inappropriate.

If you stop violating Upwork's terms of service by communicating with prospective clients outside of the Upwork platform, you not only avoid almost all scams, you also avoid having your account potentially suspended for violating said terms of service.

[work247]

One more project.. 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[petra_r · Accepted solution]

Flag the job posts as inappropriate and move on. You're not allowed to post them here in the forum.

Again: stop violating Upwork's terms of service by communicating with prospective clients outside of the Upwork platform and you'll not only avoid almost all scams, you also avoid having your account potentially suspended for violating said terms of service.

[NikolaS]

Hi Laxman,

Thank you for reaching out to us, As Petra already shared, 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. I 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.

Please check this post for the freelancer resources and tips for avoiding questionable jobs that we put together to help freelancers make decisions whether to work with a client or not. You can find more information on how to stay safe on Upwork in this help article. 

Additionally, I will share your report with our team for further review. 

[fddf86dd]

I have not got any work because every post I send a proposal to is a scam I MEAN every post. I have talked to 10 different people all asking for personal info and wanting to cobtact ouyside of here 

[gilbert-phyllis]

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Holly E wrote:

I have not got any work because every post I send a proposal to is a scam I MEAN every post. I have talked to 10 different people all asking for personal info and wanting to cobtact ouyside of here 

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You're in a very competitive category and it looks like you have not FL'd before, so it's going to take time and close attention to learn to target decent opportunities here. 

Get familiar with the ToS, particularly what clients are not allowed to do -- communicate with you off the platform, ask for free work as a sample or test, ask for money as "security to prove you're serious", ask for personal  details, etc. -- so whenever you encounter it, you can flag the job post. UW will take those down (although not as promptly as we'd like) and you get your connects back.

Also, read this, I'm sure you'll find it helpful.