Scam ??? I feel that is all I am getting.

[Angelique M]

Every Interview I have had over the last month, month in half has seemed like maybe they are a scam.  

Google Hangout, AOL, Skype.

They want to send me a check deposit it and purchase supplies. I have a full office here at home. I explain that to them and it seems like they are a robot. They all say we will work that out with Upwork when I ask about payment methods. SOme of them even ask for me to send in Birth certificate/driver license and a bill from home so that I can verify I am a real person.  

I just feel like it is a never ending circle and I have heard so many good things about Upwork but I feel I can't get that First job Online. 

I think I need some assistance

[Rene K]

If you are a newbie, then you're fresh meat for all those scammers. Open a ticket with CS and report all those scammers. 

Then forget them and move back. They are hunting for all naive newcomers, and considering the amount of energy they spend here, they are probably scoring big deal.

Once you show some cred here, they'll just go away.

[Katrina B]

Actually I just got an invitation to one of these scam postings.  "Meet me on Google Hangouts"  I flagged it, declined it as spam and then in the message to client box I put "Your check for supplies scam has been reported. Goodbye."

[Angelique M]

I have tried to find where to report it. I can not find CS to build a ticket.

I do flag them as trying to pay outside of UpWork and Fruad. 

[Preston H]

Let me echo what others have said. Once you gain experience on the platform, this really isn't an issue. I think it's been over a year since I received a scam invite. And they don't show up in my job feed.

You can look forward to that in your future.

[Ruth M]

I just had the same experience with a job listing, they FedEx a check to me for 3999.55 to purchase equipment. As soon a I got the check I took it to the bank to see if it was fraudulent. Just as I suspected it was and my bank is reporting it. I am just shocked to read how lais·sez-faire Upwork is about scams. The only thing that will stop criminals is prosecution. Its not about newbies being savvy. It is a crime and allowing it to continue is bad for business and is impacting your reputation. Essentially you are saying that if you are new to Upwork you can expect to be targeted repeatedly by scammers because Upwork doesn't have an effective process to prevent it.

[Petra R]

---

Ruth M wrote:

The only thing that will stop criminals is prosecution

---

The only thing that will stop it is when freelancers stop violating the terms of service by even agreeing to be sent a check, and wisen up to this, one of the oldest and dumbest scams on the Internet, that has been making the rounds for way over 12 years.

How anyone can think for a single second that this could conceivably be legitimate continues to baffle me as much as it baffled me a dozen years ago when I first heard of it.

Upwork takes them down as soon as they are reported, but as long as freelancers are willingly violating the most basic of rules (Do Not Accept Money Off The Platform) this will continue.

[Evelina H]

In my entire 'career' on Upwork I got only three scams. One was two-three years ago and I smelled a fish when they offered so much money for something so simple.

The last two scammers were about logo design jobs (surprisingly they had good reviews and had posted normal jobs before.. I wonder if someone hadn't scammed their profiles?). They sent me those phishing login URLs. I immediately recognised it. I flagged them, reported them to CS, and then told the clients Upwork will deal with them soon.

Angelique, I don't know why you end up with so many scammers... I'm sorry to hear that. It must be frustrating. Don't give up though, just because some a**holes are trying to rob you. There are many great clients! Be vigilant, and use Upwork for money transactions (and use no other medium for that). Over time you will build experience, have rich job history and you will be virtually immune to scammers.

Almost my entire communication is through Upwork, money transactions, file transactions... everything. Of course, there's nothing wrong if at a later stage the client wants to talk to you via Skype (that's not an immediate red flag). Sometimes I (or the client) have to send large files, and use Dropbox. Sometimes Upwork is down, and I need to talk to my clients via skype, email, etc....

[Vladimir G]

Hi Angelique,

Please note that we strongly advise against sharing any direct payment details or copies of your personal ID, passport, birth certificate, driver license and other sensitive information with other users. 

Please take screenshots of the clients' requests and report these incidents directly to Customer Support. You should only receive payments through Upwork, as paying, receiving payment and requesting/accepting to be paid outside Upwork is against our ToS and carries a penalty for all parties involved. 

To help you work safely on Upwork, please have a look at tips and warning signs shared in this thread and Upwork Trust & Safety FAQ.

You can find valuable information in the Getting Started as a Freelancer section of the Help Center and by reading "A Freelancer's Guide to Upwork". I also suggest watching our educational videos and reading the best practice advice shared by other users:

Freelancer Tutorial Videos

Want to get that first job? Then check this out...

Proposal Workshop Video

[Kerrin J]

You are not the only one! Happend to me today! Same thing! Any time anyone asks me to deposit a check my flags go up. Then asking for a cashiers check for ten dollars for a retail time keeping company... My question is who do we report this to????