Scammed and need a verification of my sensitive identification

[iffy1234]

Hello everybody, 

I recently have been scammed by an employer who claims to be an HR from a publishing company and it was the typical telegram interview which I didn't think of anything at first but his way of typing, I mean the words he used were not proper English. Again, I didn't think of anything. He did say that he would send me a check to buy supplies from his "vendor" which I really should've thought about before saying yes because I was too excited to even believe it was happening. I then deposited the check but the check was claimed altered and the money was returned. He did ask me to buy an Apple Pay Card from my local pharmacy which I refused and then confirmed that it was a scam. I should've known before depositing the check because it is very stupid of me. I did block him and all contacts and deleted everything that had to do with him. Now, my concern here is, I entered my SSN in UpWork because I thought I was going to be paid on Upwork and am concerned if anyone saw my SSN whether it is Upwork or my scamming "employer". Is it confidential and am I in NO danger?

[mwiggenhorn · Accepted solution]

You DO know that you broke the agreement you made with Upwork in two ways, right?  You communicated with a potential client outside of the platform and you agreed to receive a check rather than payment through Upwork.

Your "client" will never see your SSN, so don't worry about that at least.  Just please read all the information available about scams and how Upwork works to protect you before you even think of applying for anything else.

[iffy1234]

Yes, I have been reading similar posts like mine recently and did figure it out but I was very scared that my identity was being compromised. Thank you so much!

[colettelewis]

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Lahari R wrote:

Hello everybody, 

I recently have been scammed by an employer who claims to be an HR from a publishing company and it was the typical telegram interview which I didn't think of anything at first but his way of typing, I mean the words he used were not proper English. Again, I didn't think of anything. He did say that he would send me a check to buy supplies from his "vendor" which I really should've thought about before saying yes because I was too excited to even believe it was happening. I then deposited the check but the check was claimed altered and the money was returned. He did ask me to buy an Apple Pay Card from my local pharmacy which I refused and then confirmed that it was a scam. I should've known before depositing the check because it is very stupid of me. I did block him and all contacts and deleted everything that had to do with him. Now, my concern here is, I entered my SSN in UpWork because I thought I was going to be paid on Upwork and am concerned if anyone saw my SSN whether it is Upwork or my scamming "employer". Is it confidential and am I in NO danger?

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Lahari,

Apart from  taking Mary's good advice,  you really must remove what you have written from your profile - no matter how cross you are at having been scammed.

No client will look at you unless you write a professional overview and add a few samples of your writing in your portfolio.  A really good thread for newcomers is this one: https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/Getting-Started-on-Upwork/m-p/264214#M2460 particularly the section about how to recognize dodgy job offers. 

You had a horrible experience, but you can now move on.