Scam with link

[volsinchy]

After the New Year, I've noticed in the 'Art and Illustration' section an influx of job postings from various clients across different countries with enormous pay for illustration. These job postings seem to be very similar to each other, with only a few minor details that differentiate them. However, each client insists on purchasing specific brushes from the brush market, sometimes brushes repeat. He gives a link or a title of needed brushes.
Additionally, these clients don't seem to be interested in hiring anyone, as they keep reposting the same jobs every day. And 0 spent in history. I suspect that it may be the work of only one person. It is becoming a bit tedious to flag all of these posts, as there are so many similar ones appearing every day.
It's sad to see such a mess on the biggest freelance platform. Can the Upwork employees pay attention to such obvious scams?

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[royalty79]

Could this be an affiliate link from which they earn money? 

[volsinchy]

I am sure that they earn money from this. You need to buy these brushes to get the work - that is the job post. No matter what the link is, the job posts are similar, offer huge money (as an illustrator I can say the pay is really big to catch attention), and still no one got hired and didn't get this huge money. It doesn't look like a real job. He gathered the most popular job posts (children book illustration, comics, dnd characters, stickers etc) and made this.

[volsinchy]

Now the same problem is happening with fonts instead of brushes. The price is around 30-50 dollars for 'Entry level' - doesn't look like a cost for a "real" job. Also no detail about the job, only a vague description and the use of particular fonts (like previous similar jobs).
I have been reading job feed for 4 years, and see such first time.

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[491cbd23]

It is definitely a scam. I've been reporting every one of them but Upwork has yet to notify me about posts being removed or the offending account being banned. I will link all the offending gumroads here: **Edited for Community Guidelines**

[g_pullano]

Now they got clever. Yesterday there was a similar proposal but without link. I applied just to try and after few hours I received a private message, with the link to buy digital brushes to start the job. Of course I have reported the job posting.

[rekasesh]

You're right. They have gotten clever.

There were beta reader jobs in my category that happens to be a veiled way of asking for Amazon reviews ( banned under ToS).

After I and others flagged jobs that asked for Amazon account details, they added the requirement in the Questions section.

When we flagged those posts, they stopped adding the part about Amazon. Now, the posts are deceptively clean and cannot be flagged.

I guess they will field the question in the interview stage.

[volsinchy]

They added video and other art and creative jobs. Many of them without links also. Be careful, and I'll just start to work somewhere else. Today I got a 'handpicked jobs' email, and 2 of these jobs were from scammers, shame on you, Upwork!

It's sad to see Upwork die and I have to leave it, it was great. Sometime.

[7b19c532]

Concerned about a surge in suspicious job postings in 'Art and Illustration' on Upwork after the New Year. Clients requesting specific brushes with repetitive posts. Upwork, let's **Edited for Community Guidelines** up this mess!