Same job is continually reposted

[caitlin-mcvicker]

Hello there,

In the past few weeks, I have noticed the same job (exact wording) reposted MULTIPLE times in the feed. And it's constant.

I have begun to report these, but nothing is changing. No matter how many times I downvote them and say I'm not interested in them, they still appear in my feed (because they are posted over and over again).

How can I make it clear to the system that I don't want these jobs to show up in my feed? Considering the wording is literally copied and pasted (both title and body), this also shouldn't be hard to flag in the system before it gets posted.

It's being posted by different accounts because the country keeps changing, and the number of connects and the budget (which is always extremely high; $700-$1000 for a tiny job) fluctuates per post.

I counted the other day and 17/31 posts on my feed were this scam ad.

How can we fix this? It's absurd. Considering the payment is unverified, can I filter by that? I'm so frustrated.

[martina_plaschka]

Downvoting doesn't do a thing. You need to flag the job posting for multiple identical postings, which is not allowed. That will make them go away. 

[caitlin-mcvicker]

I have been flagging all of them, but nothing has changed. Downvoting doesn't do anything?! What's the point of the feedback system then? That's nuts.

[BojanS]

Hi Caitlin,

Could you please click on my name and send me a PM with more information about this report? I'll look into it and escalate accordingly. 

Thank you.

[pgiambalvo]

You mean temporarily go away, only to reappear over and over again.  Like he said, "Considering the wording is literally copied and pasted (both title and body), this also shouldn't be hard to flag in the system before it gets posted." Our ability to flag has become no more than an ineffective BandAid and a face-saving measure.

[prestonhunter]

I am more interested in automatically detecting problematic behavioral patterns associated with client accounts, than detecting specific phrases or wording in job posts.

If I was tasked with tackling this problem, I would add algorithms that look for client accounts which repeatedly post jobs without hiring and paying freelancers. And I would have personnel examine those more closely.

I don't know what Upwork is actually doing. They may already be doing exactly that. From what I read in the Forum, it certainly seems like the problem is getting worse.

[caitlin-mcvicker]

While I can agree with that, in this specific instance it seems like there are potentially hundreds of accounts being created/posting them, so focusing on one account wouldn't make sense for this problem in particular.

This is my first time on the forum, that's disheartening to hear it's getting worse and presumably nothing is being done about it.

[pgiambalvo]

Keep in mind that the number of client posts on Upwork is a key and highly promotable metric of how well they're doing.

[nhansen]

Some may be posting their job ads in multiple places and simply don't find candidates they like via Upwork. I've posted ads before here on Upwork and LinkedIn and sometimes found better candidates through the latter and so we hired them directly. There's no obligation on clients that just because they post a job here that they have to hire someone from here.

[sparkesusan]

I've been flagging them too. They aren't going away.

[miriam-ocampo]

They are not going away... they just keep publishing them over and over again... and some of those are payment verified now,  really annoying, in fact since last week my "flag as inappropriate" button does not work. 

[ahmorel]

Hi, I have also noticed the exact same situation. The number of spam/scam jobs being posted is exceeding the number of actual jobs (at least for my field of expertise). I have flagged many of them, but they keep appearing on my feed. 

It's becoming quite frustrating! Perhaps Upwork should send a massive email to all its freelancers on how to detect these while they come up with a proper solution.  

Some of the most common red flags are: 

-Payment method unverified

-Recently joined Upwork

-Timezone does not match location of the country

-Vague or poorly written job description 

-Asking freelancers to contact them via WhatsApp or Telegram

-Looking for entry level freelancers yet they offer ridiculously high budgets

-Posting the same job multiple times from same/different accounts 

I am not aware if Upwork requires clients to verify their identity (as is required for freelancers) but given the high number of spam jobs being posted, maybe they should, before being able to post jobs. 

[sparkesusan]

Job post over and over. **edited for Community Guidelines** Well, so do we! Pages and pages of this same thing. And they are asking for contact off of the platform. 

**edited for Community Guidelines**

[AveryO]

Hi Susan, 

I was unable to find the job posts you are referring to. It looks like it has already been taken down. Let us know if these jobs are still listed in your feed.

[caitlin-mcvicker]

Two months later, and I'm still seeing the same stuff. It's taking up over 80% of my feed.

[64da4129]

Yes, there are a lot of scams for the copy typing jobs. I was flaging them as inappropriate but nothing happend, they keep showing on. I am new to Upwork but this scams are not from now. The Upwork admins can't do anything about this problem, but the platform keep selling connects for money. I think the Upwork team like this kind of scams. It's all profit.

[sparkesusan]

That particular one is gone for now. Thank you for checking.

[sajal36]

Good Suggestions. Thanks !! I believe the only impact scammer might put is they consume the connect that we use to apply for the job. However, the above checkpoints are usefull and recommended for anyone looking to submit proposal for any of the job.

[rozroz13]

yeah I have been flagging them all the time for the last 5 years and they don't go away. In fact in a few instances I have seen them reposted! 4 years ago Upwork was penalizing freelancers for the same words on the cover letter but they couldn't care less if employers do it. All about the money!

[rozroz13]

Here is proof of another scam. Every time I report something like this upwork claims it has been addressed but they cannot tell us how. So much for transparency huh? 

Word to word wording, same account, different hourly rates. This must be dead easy for their so called AI to weed out but no.