Scammers on Upwork

Meral D · Jan 7, 2017 06:45:49 AM

I just signed up on Upwork, answered 2 ads, and received this response from the first ad I responded to. Did some research because it had red flags, and found that yes, this type of response is a typical scammer response, phishing for info. This doesn't give me much faith in Upwork.

Does upwork have any protocols for vetting their job posters??

This was the response:

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Preston H · Jan 7, 2017 06:49:20 AM

re: "Does upwork have any protocols for vetting their job posters?"

No.

There is no vetting of job posters.

As a freelancer, you need to be aware of what constitutes a legitimate job. With a little experience and reading, it is very easy.

Charles W · Feb 13, 2018 01:48:38 PM

Why doesn't UW vet the job postings? They OWN this site. Freelancers don't.

Nina K · Feb 13, 2018 02:16:01 PM

Hi Charles,

We definitely understand your frustration. Upwork has over 17 million registered users and thousands of projects are posted daily on our platform. As such, despite the many tools we have in place to detect issues like the ones presented in this thread, they do still occur from time to time. In addition, unfortunately, even if we take action on an account, the individuals involved may open a new account to circumvent our efforts. We do remove all the posts that violate our ToS as soon as we become aware of them. Even with precautions and taking actions against violations, we cannot guarantee that third-parties will not find ways to circumvent these measures but we will continue to use our best efforts to keep our marketplace safe.

~Nina

Vinod P · Mar 10, 2018 11:58:34 PM

Looks Like upwork need to do Lot on Protecting its users from getting Frauded.

1) They should enhance their security by adding 2 step authentication

2) They need to add background check, without that it would be hard to feel how the safe the site would be not knowing who is accessing the information.

3) they need to protect job seekers financial information

4) communication with client and Provider needs to be secure

Joanne Marie P · Mar 11, 2018 01:45:34 AM

Hi Vinod,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue, and we definitely understand your point. I will share your feedback to the team. In the meantime, please check this help article that details how you can report suspicious activities.

-Joanne

B H · Jul 27, 2019 03:30:11 PM

how can upwork understand anyones frustration?
uowork makes money from both sides, upwork didnt lose any money due toi the fraudulence of freelancers .

Jennifer W · Jan 7, 2017 07:49:15 AM

Thanks Meral,

I just recieved the same thing and was about to do an online interview but see this was a scam. Thanks for your help.

Jennifer M · Jan 7, 2017 08:00:13 AM

They like weekends a lot.

Diana M · Jan 20, 2018 08:23:40 PM

Hey Jennifer -- You seem like you know what you're doing on these forums so I figured I'd reach out to you. My head writer, **Edited for Community Guidelines** was just scammed -- big time. He was communicating with a company he suspected to be fraudulent and when he asked questions about his suspicions, they sent him a link to a site that explained their issues with Upwork, then immediately after clicking, he was logged out of his account and is unable to log back in. He has money, clients and bank information attached to that account. Please send help ASAP.

Thank-you,

Diana